Kepri's Narcotics Case Trend Over a Decade: A Rise Again in 2023

The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) has recorded fluctuations in narcotics cases in the Riau Islands (Kepri) from 2014 to 2023.

Initially, 28 narcotics cases were handled in 2014. A year later, the number surged to 56 cases, the highest in a decade.

Subsequently, the number of cases tended to decrease. However, it rose again in 2019 to 51 cases.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of narcotics cases in the Riau Islands decreased drastically. Specifically, there were 33 cases in 2020, 22 in 2021, and 20 in 2022.

A year later, the BNN recorded an increase in cases in the province. The latest data from 2023 shows 30 narcotics cases in the Riau Islands.

In total, there were 385 narcotics cases in the Riau Islands during the 2014-2023 period.

Regarding the latest narcotics case in the Riau Islands, on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, a joint team from the BNN, the Indonesian Navy, and Customs found 67 boxes containing methamphetamine aboard the KM MT Sea Dragon Tarawa. Each box contained 30 kilograms of methamphetamine stored in the ship's hold and engine room. The total weight of the methamphetamine seized reached two tons.

Direct observation by the *Katadata* team at the Tanjung Uncang Customs Pier, Batam City, Riau Islands, showed that the ship's interior and electronic equipment were relatively new. The ship was crewed by six crew members, consisting of two Thai nationals and four Indonesian citizens.

Based on information obtained by *Katadata*, the arrest was a continuation of an operation that began in February 2025. The BNN, Indonesian Navy, and Customs team analyzed the ship's movement patterns to predict narcotics smuggling routes through the Tanjung Balai Karimun waters.

Previously, at the end of March 2025, officers also apprehended a suspicious vessel suspected of carrying narcotics in the Malacca Strait. However, upon securing the vessel, the team only found remnants of evidence that had already been removed.