Customs And Excise Thwarts Drug Smuggling In Airplane Passengers In Batam

DOC VOI

The Batam Customs Smuggling Task Force (Satgas) thwarted the smuggling of methamphetamine-type narcotics hidden in the rectum by an airplane passenger.

Head of the Batam Muhtadi Customs Enforcement and Investigation Division said the smuggling attempt was revealed from the suspicion of officers against an airline passenger at Hang Nadim Batam Airport.

"A prospective passenger with the initials OT shows suspicious behavior during x-ray checks, including an unnatural and nervous way of walking," Muhtadi said as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, July 25.

The prospective passenger, he said, was about to depart on the Batam route with the final destination of Lombok but first transit in Surabaya.

According to him, from the initial inspection of the prospective passenger, there was an anomaly in the form of duct tape on the inside of the passenger's clothing, thus strengthening the officer's suspicion.

"After an in-depth examination, a foreign object was found hidden in the rectum area," he said.

From the results of the examination, the suspect OT was taken to a special examination room for further treatment.

Officers secured three packs containing white crystals suspected of being methamphetamine-type narcotics weighing 188.9 grams. To ensure this type of drug, officers conducted tests using narcotics reagent U, whose results were positive for mathhamphetamien.

"We examined the perpetrator OT who claimed to be ordered by a man with the initials PL," he said.

OT perpetrators know PL at a nightclub in Tanjung Balai Karimun. From this introduction, OT was assigned to bring methamphetamine to Lombong with a salary of Rp. 5 million per pack.

"The flight tickets and OT lodging are fully financed by PI," he said.

OT arrived in Batam on July 21, 2025, and stayed at a hotel in the Lubuk Baja area. At that location, he met another man with the initials SH.

"SH is a narcotics case recidivist, who served as an intermediary and handed over three packs of crystal methamphetamine to the OT to be hidden and brought to Lombok," said Muhtadi.

This case has been transferred to the Riau Islands Regional Police for further handling.