22.05.2025 – (12:01 PM)

Four Myanmar nationals were on board a ship that Indonesian authorities seized a large haul of drugs, the Bangkok Post reported.

The Indonesian navy has found a Thai-flagged ship in the waters off Tanjung Balai Karimun, near the Riau Islands.

The ship was stopped by the Indonesian navy after it was found to be speeding up with its lights off, and 100 yellow and white bags containing about 1.2 tonnes of cocaine and 705 kilograms of methamphetamine were found on board, the Thai news agency reported.

The seized drugs are worth an estimated US$426 million, making it the largest ever seized in Indonesian waters, the report said.

Indonesian authorities have identified the ship as a Thai vessel, with the captain a Thai national and the four crew members Burmese, but no documents were found to identify any of them, the report added.

The Bangkok Post reported that the Thai embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, has contacted the Indonesian Foreign Ministry to verify whether the arrested captain is Thai.

Indonesia is known for its strict anti-drug laws, with harsh penalties, including the death penalty, for drug trafficking.