Taiwanese suspect brought to Jakarta after 1,160-kilogram ketamine seizure
00:00
00:00
- A Taiwanese suspect arrived at Indonesia’s Criminal Investigation Agency in Jakarta after police seized 1,160 kilograms of ketamine aboard a tanker near Sumatra.
- Police suspect he controlled the vessel’s operations and illicit cargo. Seven Indonesians detained alongside him are being treated as witnesses and have been released.
- His lawyer denied his involvement in the smuggling operation and urged police to identify whoever ordered the shipment.
JAKARTA, INDONESIAN POST – A Taiwanese suspect identified by the initials YCY arrived at the Indonesian National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency in South Jakarta on Monday evening, October 26, 2026. Police arrested him during an operation targeting the tanker MT Global 168, which was carrying 1,160 kilograms of ketamine hydrochloride in the southern Andaman Sea near Sumatra.
“The suspect in this case has arrived, along with the evidence,” Cahyo Hutomo, deputy director of the agency’s narcotics crime division, told reporters on Monday.
Tempo observed YCY arriving outside the agency’s building at about 6:57 p.m. Western Indonesia Time. He stepped out of an investigators’ vehicle wearing an orange detainee vest, jeans and rubber sandals.
A mask, hat and glasses partly obscured his face. Two investigators escorted him inside for further questioning.
Investigators also brought the seized drugs to the agency’s headquarters. The haul consisted of 58 sacks containing 1,160 packages of ketamine hydrochloride, weighing a total of 1,160 kilograms, or 1.16 metric tons.
Cahyo said police detained eight people aboard the MT Global 168, including YCY, who is suspected of exercising full control over the vessel’s operations and illicit cargo.
As the ship’s manager, YCY determined where the vessel sailed, Cahyo said. The other seven people were Indonesian nationals and are being treated as witnesses. “We have released them,” he said.
YCY’s lawyer, Rion Aritonang, had earlier denied that his client was involved in smuggling 1.16 metric tons of ketamine through the Strait of Malacca. Rion said his client was merely a courier tasked with identifying coordinates along the routes the MT Global 168 would take.
Rion said his client departed from Pasir Gudang, Perak, Malaysia, for Phuket, Thailand, on instructions from a Malaysian man named Pong. The vessel sailed toward Thailand. According to Rion, YCY suspects the ketamine was loaded covertly while the tanker was docked in Phuket and then transported to Tanjung Balai, Asahan.
“YCY does not know who owns the ketamine. We urge the Indonesian National Police to identify whoever ordered the illicit shipment. They should not arrest only the courier,” Rion told Tempo. The source also describes YCY as being held at the Belawan police detention facility, a detail requiring clarification following his reported arrival in Jakarta.
TEMPO | INDONESIAN POST
