BATAM: Indonesian authorities said on Wednesday (Jul 17) that they thwarted a drug smuggling attempt on board a Singapore-flagged vessel in the Riau Islands.
About 106kg of crystal methamphetamine was found on board the Singapore-flagged Legend Aquarius, which was passing through the waters of the Riau Islands.
“This disclosure is the result of collaborative work and assisted by reports from the public,” the head of Indonesia’s National Narcotics Agency Marthinus Hukom said in Batam.
Three Indian nationals with Singapore permits were on board the ship. The suspects, named only by their initials RN, SD, and GF, are said to be the masterminds behind the drug smuggling attempt.
“They are not crew members, but they are on this ship designing a place to hide these drugs,” Hukom said.
The Legend Aquarius sailed across the waters of Karimun, Riau Islands, with its destination being Brisbane, Australia.
“They claim that their destination is Brisbane, Australia, but we are still investigating that claim,” said Hukom.
The three suspects were not crew members, but “outsiders” who were on board the ship.
“These three people designed a special place to store drugs hidden on the ship’s deck and placed them in a fuel container,” Hukom said.
