1.16 tonnes of ketamine believed transferred from foreign mother ship in Andaman Sea
PETALING JAYA: Approximately 1.16 tonnes of ketamine seized from the Malaysian-owned tanker MT Global 168 in Indonesian waters are believed to have been transferred from a foreign mother ship to the vessel in the Andaman Sea.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) Director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said information received from the Indonesian National Police (Polri) indicated that the drugs were loaded onto MT Global 168 while the vessel was at sea.
He said preliminary investigations suggested that the ketamine originated from a mother ship suspected to have come from a country near the northern part of the Malay Peninsula.
“Based on information received from Polri, the drugs were loaded through a ship-to-ship transfer in the Andaman Sea.
“We believe the drugs were transferred from a mother ship in the Andaman Sea,” he said when contacted today.
Hussein said that although the information received indicated that the transfer took place in the Andaman Sea, investigators were examining various aspects of the incident.
He said police had opened an investigation under Section 34 of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 to determine whether the case was linked to any drug trafficking syndicate operating in Malaysia.
For the record, a ship-to-ship transfer refers to the direct transfer of cargo between two vessels at sea without either vessel having to dock at a port.
The method can be used for legitimate commercial purposes, including the transfer of oil and other cargo.
Common cargo transferred through this method includes crude oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), bulk cargo and petroleum products.
Media reports yesterday revealed that a tanker detained by Indonesian authorities on suspicion of attempting to smuggle 1.16 tonnes of ketamine was owned by a company registered in Malaysia.
Hussein was reported as saying that two directors of the company involved in the ownership of MT Global 168 were Malaysian citizens, while the company’s registered office was located in Johor Bahru, Johor.
Earlier, the vessel was believed to have exhibited unusual movements between October 14 and 18 before being detained in the waters off Tanjung Balai Asahan.
The tanker is believed to have departed from its anchorage in Pasir Gudang, Johor, and stopped at Port Klang to refuel before heading towards the Andaman Sea.
In an apparent attempt to evade detection by authorities, the vessel’s crew switched off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) for three days.
Following the incident, eight crew members, comprising seven Indonesian nationals and one Chinese national, were detained last Tuesday.
UTUSAN