Arya News - Indonesian police described the case as "unusual", because the drugs were about to be transported directly to the buyer in Surabaya, instead of being transited through warehouses as is usually the case.
MEDAN – Police in North Sumatra have arrested an Indonesian migrant worker for smuggling 8 kilograms of sabu (crystal methamphetamine) from Malaysia to Indonesia.
The migrant worker, identified as Sayudin from Sampang, East Java, was tasked with bringing the drugs to Surabaya.
North Sumatra Police Narcotics Crimes Investigation (Resnarkoba) director Sr. Comr. Andy Arisandi said the smuggling attempt was foiled after the police received a public tip off. Detectives then found that Sayudin on Aug. 3 had met a Malaysian, identified as Adi alias Idi Talageh, in Section 17 of Shah Alam in the Malaysian state of Selangor.
The next day Adi gave a backpack containing sabu to be delivered to Surabaya. Adi then told Sayudin to go to Kuala Selaga Port in Selangor using a Grab taxi.
“The Malaysian man promised Sayudin a fee of Rp 105 million if the drugs were received by the buyer,” Andy told a press conference on Aug.12.
“Adi, however, has just received Rp 4 million to cover transportation cost.”
He said Sayudin moved from one ship to another to avoid officer surveillance during his sea voyage, before arriving at Tanjungbalai in North Sumatra.
Sayudin planned to continue his voyage by bus to Surabaya when he was intercepted by police officers at a bus stop bound for Jakarta on the Trans Sumatra Highway in Hessa Perlompongan village, Asahan regency on Aug. 5.
“Detectives confiscated 8 kilograms of sabu worth some Rp 8 billion,” Andy said.
“Also seized were Rp 3 million in cash and a passport with Sayudin’s name.”
Sayudin was a migrant worker who worked in Malaysia as a construction worker legally. However, he was recruited as a drug mule by a fellow Indonesian migrant worker when he was about to return to Indonesia.
“His friend offered Sayudin a way to transport sabu by sea on his way home,” Andy said, quoting Sayudin’s admission to detectives.
He said the case differed from the usual pattern, in which drugs are first stored in warehouses before being distributed. In this instance, Sayudin was to bring the drugs directly to Surabaya by bus after arriving in Tanjungbalai.
“The smuggled drugs were not transited in North Sumatra as we managed to intercept the package on its way to Surabaya,” he said.
Andy said Sayudin’s travel from Tanjungbalai to Surabaya was pre-arranged by someone, including when he bought the bus ticket to Surabaya and was about to board the bus.
“There were certain parties who assisted the suspect in buying bus ticket in the counter,” he said.
“We are still chasing for these people, including the buyer in Surabaya.”
He said police were also still developing the case to identify the syndicate smuggling drugs from Malaysia.
Drug smuggling from Malaysia to North Sumatra occurs so often because the two regions are close, with the crossing taking only about three to four hours by ship.
Detectives from North Sumatra Police Resnarkoba Directorate recently foiled an attempt to smuggle 50 kg of sabu and 20,000 ecstasy pills from Malaysia through the Bagan Asahan waters in Asahan regency.
The police detained a man, identified as B, a resident of Asahan regency, who was suspected as the drug mule. Meanwhile, the controller, identified as F, is still at large.
The Resnarkoba Directorate of North Sumatra Police have arrested 1,118 from 923 drugs cases until Feb. 23. From the cases, detectives seized 179.95 kg of sabu, 155 kg of ganja, 59,168 ecstasy pills, 243 happy five pills, 900 milliliters of liquid ketamine and 299 vapes pods containing drugs.