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Fri, February 10, 2012
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Dragnet Deployed in Straits to Snare Drug Runners
Farouk Arnaz |

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Some 700 personnel from various state agencies and 28 armed vessels have been deployed along the Straits of Malacca, one of the world’s busiest sea lanes, in one of the country’s largest exercises to combat drug smuggling.

“Our seas are vulnerable and there are numerous entry points for drug smugglers. We have no other option except to wage a war against drugs. They threaten our country’s security and stability,” the Navy’s deputy chief, Vice Adm. Moekhlas Siddik said on Monday, adding that the effort, named “The 2009 Maritime Operations Joint Exercise,” would continue through Thursday.

The exercise, organized by the navy and the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), reportedly involves the customs and immigration departments, seaport administration officers, marine police and the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry. Brig. Gen. Tommy Sagiman, who heads the operational command at the BNN, said the agency strongly suspected that heroin traffickers from Afghanistan were using the Straits of Malacca to smuggle the drug through Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia.

“The traffickers are constantly changing smuggling methods. After we increased security at our airports, they switched to using the Straits of Malacca as their main route,” Tommy said.

“We need to protect ourselves from drug smugglers and other criminals by boosting security around our waters,” he said.

The Straits of Malacca, a narrow 805 kilometer channel between the Malaysian peninsula and Sumatra, is the primary shipping lane between the Indian and the Pacific oceans, linking major Asian economies such as India, China, Japan and South Korea. About 300 vessels pass through every day, carrying an estimated 25 percent of the world’s traded goods.