Police Probe Malaysian Links to RM800m Ketamine Tanker

Bukit Aman narcotics investigators are working with Indonesian police to determine whether a Malaysian drug syndicate was behind 1.16 tonnes of ketamine found on a ketamine tanker intercepted off North Sumatra, Malay Mail reported on Saturday (Oct 24).

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

A search on board uncovered 58 sacks holding 1,160 individually wrapped bricks of ketamine hydrochloride, with an estimated black-market value of 3.48 trillion rupiah, or roughly RM800 million.

Ketamine Tanker Route Under Scrutiny

Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan confirmed that Malaysian police were formally notified of the seizure by their Indonesian counterparts on Friday (Oct 23), according to an NST report cited by Malay Mail.

Preliminary tracking data shared by Indonesian maritime agencies showed the tanker left a docking yard in Pasir Gudang, Johor, and stopped at Port Klang to take on bunker fuel before setting a course for the open waters of the Andaman Sea.

Regional surveillance units flagged unusual navigation routes between Oct 14 and 18. Hussein said the vessel was believed to have switched off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) for three days to avoid detection.

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

Eight Crew Members Held

Indonesian security personnel detained all eight crew members on board: seven Indonesians aged between 25 and 71, and a 42-year-old Chinese national. All eight have been named as formal criminal suspects.

What Happens Next

Hussein said the NCID “will remain in close contact with the Indonesian National Police”.

He said police would also seek information to determine whether any members of drug syndicates operating in Malaysia were involved in the shipment.

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