Jakarta. Indonesian authorities have seized 325 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine with an estimated street value of Rp 585 billion ($32.7 million) and arrested two suspects in what police believe is part of an international drug trafficking network operating along the maritime border between Thailand and Indonesia.

Brig. Gen. Eko Hadi Santoso, director of narcotics crimes at the National Police, said on Sunday that the operation was carried out jointly by the police and customs authorities following an investigation that began in early May.

The suspects, identified only by their initials JF and Z, were arrested on June 23 after officers intercepted a Honda HR-V carrying the drugs in Blang Mangat, Lhokseumawe, Aceh.

Police said JF owned the small boat used to transport the shipment from offshore, while Z allegedly coordinated its overland distribution.

Authorities confiscated 325 packages of methamphetamine concealed in Chinese tea packets and packed into 13 sacks. Officers also seized the Honda HR-V, a speedboat, and several mobile phones believed to have been used by members of the trafficking network.

According to investigators, the drugs were transferred from a foreign vessel to a local fishing boat approximately 120 nautical miles off the Indonesia-Thailand maritime border using a ship-to-ship transfer before being transported to the Aceh coast.

Police said Z was promised Rp 30 million (about $1,680) for each sack successfully delivered, or a total of around Rp 390 million ($21,800). JF was allegedly offered approximately Rp 400 million ($22,400) for transporting the shipment by sea.

Questioning of the suspects led investigators to identify two alleged coordinators, identified by the initials MJ and MHL, who are now being sought by authorities.

“They have been placed on our wanted list,” Eko said.

Investigators are tracing financial transactions linked to the operation, including bank accounts suspected of being used to facilitate drug payments, while also examining the possible involvement of additional accomplices, including those who supplied the transport vehicles.

Aceh, located at the northern tip of Sumatra, has long been regarded as one of Indonesia's most vulnerable entry points for narcotics smuggled by sea because of its proximity to major shipping routes in the Andaman Sea and the Strait of Malacca.

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