Jakarta. The parents of a sailor facing the death penalty over the seizure of nearly two tons of methamphetamine off Batam in Riau Islands have appealed for legal help and presidential intervention, insisting their son did not know about the alleged drug smuggling.

Fandi Ramadan, a crew member aboard a Thai-flagged cargo vessel, was arrested in May 2025 after Indonesian authorities seized about 1.99 tons of crystal meth in waters near Batam. He and five others are facing the death penalty.

On Friday, Fandi’s parents, Sulaeman and Nirwana, traveled to Jakarta to seek assistance from senior lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea and to appeal directly to President Prabowo Subianto for clemency.

Speaking to reporters in North Jakarta, Nirwana said her son had only recently joined the ship as a crew member and was unaware of the illegal cargo.

“My son never knew there were drugs on that ship,” she said. “He was new, just learning to work at sea, and trusted the captain and officers.”

According to the family, Fandi was recruited in April 2025 by a labor agent and offered a job as a crew member with a promised salary of $2,000. He departed for Thailand on May 1, 2025, and joined the vessel shortly afterward. During the voyage, Nirwana said, boxes were transferred onto the ship at sea and were described by senior officers as containing money and gold.

Fandi reportedly questioned the cargo before the vessel was intercepted on May 21, 2025, by Indonesian Customs, marine police, and the National Narcotics Agency. Authorities later confirmed the boxes contained methamphetamine.

Hotman Paris said the case raised serious questions, saying that during court proceedings, the ship’s captain acknowledged that Fandi had asked about the cargo and was told it contained valuables, not drugs.

The emotional appeal by Fandi’s parents has drawn public attention after Nirwana said she would be willing to take her son’s place if he were sentenced to death.

“I am not willing to lose my child for something he did not do,” she said through tears. “If someone must be punished, let it be me.”

Fandi and his co-defendants are currently on trial at the Batam District Court. Indonesia enforces some of the world’s harshest penalties for drug trafficking, and death sentences are still handed down, though executions have been rare in recent years.

The family has called for the case to be handled transparently and objectively, saying they hope the court — and the government — will consider Fandi’s role as a low-ranking crew member with no links to drug networks.

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