Malaysia and Indonesia to Unite To Combat Drug Trafficking

Zaky Pawas

The National Police and their Malaysian counterparts on Tuesday agreed to increase cooperation and intensify border patrols in an effort to combat drug trafficking.

Indonesian National Police chief Comr. Gen. Sutarman said that as an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, Indonesia has many points of entry for drugs to be smuggled into the county.

“Indonesia has thousands of entry ways, be it legal ports or illegal, in the north, west, south and east. They are open for illegal culprits to enter Indonesia,” Sutarman said at narcotics talks between the two countries.

Traffickers often smuggle their products by sea.

“In the west, [the drugs] came from the Netherlands using big boats anchoring in international waters, later [the drug shipment] is picked up using speed boats and carried to Indonesia,” he said. “And they use firearms. That is why [police] must be vigilant because at times they can fight back.”

Sutarman said that since 2010, the majority of the drugs were shipped via Malaysia. To reduce shipments, he added, Indonesian police were asking Malaysian authorities to step up patrols.

Indonesian National Police narcotics director Brig. Gen. Arman Depari said the talks focused on strategic, tactical and operational aspects of drug-smuggling eradication. “We will see if we can conduct a joint investigation or joint operations,” Arman said, adding that cooperation between the two law enforcement agencies would cut down on bureaucratic red tapes.

“E-mail and calls between staffers” will be used more under the cooperation arrangement, the one-star general said.

Arman said that many Malaysians and Indonesians have been arrested in each other’s country for drug smuggling, indicating that syndicates from the countries are teaming up.

Malaysian police narcotics investigation director Datuk Noor Rashid said his team recently found 21 kilograms of amphetamine in Sabah, ready to be shipped to Indonesia by sea.

Malaysian police say international drug smuggling rings are looking to market a new type of ecstasy pill, known as Yaba, in Indonesia. Rashid cited the recent discovery of 500,000 Yaba pills in Kedah believed to be intended to be shipped to Indonesia via the Riau Islands.