Trilateral cooperation busts drug ring

Chinese, Indonesian and Malaysian anti-drug authorities have jointly cracked a major transnational drug manufacturing and trafficking case, seizing about 1.2 metric tons of liquid methamphetamine and arresting 11 suspects in Indonesia, according to an announcement released by the Ministry of Public Security on Friday.

On Oct 21, Indonesia's National Narcotics Agency dismantled a large-scale drug refining and production site in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, with strong support and assistance from the office of the China National Narcotics Control Commission and the Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department of the Royal Malaysia Police.

The operation followed a yearlong investigation by Chinese authorities that began in October 2025, when they uncovered leads pointing to a major criminal group involved in the international smuggling and trafficking of liquid drugs.

Through extensive investigations, Chinese authorities gradually established that the group had repeatedly smuggled and trafficked liquid drugs into Indonesia.

In September, the office of the China National Narcotics Control Commission shared information about the case with Indonesia's National Narcotics Agency. The two sides subsequently agreed to cooperate in a joint crackdown on the transnational criminal network.

The Oct 21 operation marked a major achievement in cross-border anti-drug law enforcement cooperation and dealt a blow to drug-related crime in the region.

yangzekun@chinadaily.com.cn