AN attempt to smuggle drugs from Malaysia was thwarted by the Indonesian navy when they intercepted two men on a boat at sea off North Sumatra.
The duo, believed to be part of an international syndicate, were arrested after 29kg of syabu and 60,000 ecstasy pills were recovered on June 21, according to the Antara news agency.
Indonesian Navy First Fleet Command, Rear Admiral Arsyad Abdullah, said the two men were traveling from Malaysia when intercepted at sea in Asahan waters by a patrol team, from the Tanjung Balai base.
A check yielded the 29 kg of syabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride packed on bags as well as the 60,000 ecstasy pills inside 12 bags.
The cargo was kept inside a fish tank on the boat, Arsyad said adding investigations revealed the two were supposed to deliver the drugs to another boat at sea, after they brought it in from across the border.
The navy has subsequently handed over the suspects to the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) - North Sumatra Office along with the seized drugs for further investigation into the case, he said.
Domestic and transnational drug dealers view Indonesia as a potential market owing to its huge population and millions of drug users. The drug trade in the nation is valued at nearly 66 trillion rupiah (RM19 billion).