Police probe local syndicate links after tanker carrying RM800m ketamine seized off Sumatra

Federal narcotics investigators in Malaysia are collaborating with Indonesian law enforcement to investigate if a Malaysian drug syndicate was behind the trafficking of 1.16 tonnes of ketamine found on the MT Global 168, intercepted off North Sumatra.

The vessel, linked to Johor-based Makmur Marine Petroleum, carried 58 sacks of ketamine worth approximately RM800 million.

The tanker exhibited suspicious navigation patterns and reportedly turned off its AIS to evade detection.

All eight crew members, including Indonesian and Chinese nationals, have been detained as suspects.

KUALA LUMPUR — Federal narcotics investigators are working in close concert with Indonesian law enforcement to determine whether a Malaysian drug syndicate orchestrated the trafficking of 1.16 tonnes of ketamine hydrochloride aboard a coastal tanker intercepted off North Sumatra.

The 57-metre Mongolian-flagged vessel, MT Global 168, was intercepted off Tanjung Balai Asahan on Oct 20 after Indonesian authorities linked its registered ownership to Johor-based firm Makmur Marine Petroleum.

A boarding search uncovered 58 sacks concealing 1,160 individually wrapped bricks of high-grade ketamine hydrochloride, with an estimated black-market street value of 3.48 trillion rupiah, or roughly RM800 million.

Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan confirmed that Malaysian police were formally notified of the massive maritime interdiction by Indonesian counterparts yesterday, NST reported.

“NCID will remain in close contact with the Indonesian National Police to obtain further details of the case and exchange relevant intelligence.

“We will also seek information to determine whether any members of drug syndicates operating in Malaysia were involved,” he said.

Preliminary tracking data shared by Indonesian maritime agencies reveals that the tanker embarked from a docking yard in Pasir Gudang, Johor, before stopping to take on bunker fuel at Port Klang.

The vessel then plotted a course towards the open waters of the Andaman Sea, where regional surveillance units flagged anomalous navigation routes between Oct 14 and 18.

“The vessel was believed to have switched off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) for three days in an attempt to evade detection,” he said.

Hussein added that coastal radar picked up suspicious circular holding patterns off the western coast of Thailand immediately before the tanker turned back toward the Malacca Strait and Sumatran territorial waters.

Indonesian security personnel detained all eight crew members aboard the vessel, comprising seven Indonesian nationals aged between 25 and 71 and a 42-year-old Chinese national. All eight have been designated as formal criminal suspects.

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马来西亚联邦缉毒调查人员正与印度尼西亚执法部门合作，调查马来西亚贩毒集团是否与在北苏门答腊附近截获的 MT Global 168 号船上发现的 1.16 吨氯胺酮的走私活动有关。

这艘与柔佛州 Makmur Marine Petroleum 公司有关联的船只载有 58 袋氯胺酮，价值约 8 亿令吉。

该油轮表现出可疑的航行模式，据报道，它还关闭了AIS以逃避侦测。

包括印尼和中国公民在内的所有八名船员均已被拘留，作为嫌疑人。

吉隆坡——联邦缉毒调查人员正与印尼执法部门密切合作，以确定马来西亚贩毒集团是否策划了在北苏门答腊附近一艘沿海油轮上走私1.16吨氯胺酮的事件。

10 月 20 日，悬挂蒙古国旗的 57 米长 MT Global 168 号船舶在丹戎巴莱阿萨汉附近被拦截。此前，印尼当局将该船的注册所有权与位于柔佛州的 Makmur Marine Petroleum 公司联系起来。

登机搜查发现 58 个麻袋，内藏 1160 块独立包装的高级氯胺酮盐酸盐砖，估计黑市街头价值 3.48 万亿印尼盾，约合 8 亿令吉。

据《新海峡时报》报道，武吉阿曼警察总部毒品犯罪调查部（NCID）主任拿督侯赛因·奥马尔·汗证实，马来西亚警方昨天已正式接到印尼方面关于大规模海上拦截行动的通知。

“NCID将与印尼国家警察保持密切联系，以获取案件的更多细节并交换相关情报。

“我们还将调查相关信息，以确定是否有在马来西亚活动的贩毒集团成员参与其中，”他说。

印尼海事机构分享的初步跟踪数据显示，这艘油轮从柔佛州巴西古当的一个船坞出发，然后在巴生港停靠加注燃油。

随后，该船驶向安达曼海的开阔水域，区域监视单位在 10 月 14 日至 18 日期间发现了异常的航行路线。

他说：“据信该船为了逃避侦测，关闭了自动识别系统（AIS）三天。”

侯赛因补充说，就在油轮转向马六甲海峡和苏门答腊领海之前，沿海雷达在泰国西海岸附近发现了可疑的圆形盘旋航线。

印尼安全人员拘留了船上全部八名船员，其中包括七名年龄介于25岁至71岁的印尼公民和一名42岁的中国公民。这八人均已被列为正式刑事嫌疑人。

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