Indonesian Customs Seizes Drugs, Mercury, and Illegal Alcohol Shipments
Indonesian customs and police detained a Malaysian pilot, Mohd Saufi Bin Othman, after X‑ray inspection at Soekarno‑Hatta Airport uncovered about 26 kg of MDMA (ecstasy) and 4 g of methamphetamine on 30 July 2026. The seizure included 14 large packages of ecstasy weighing roughly 25‑27 kg.
In a separate operation at Surabaya’s petikemas terminal, customs officers found 3.428 tonnes of liquid mercury hidden inside ceramic pallets destined for Burkina Faso. The mercury was concealed in 251 plastic bottles and 71 jeriken wrapped with aluminium foil and was valued at roughly Rp 17.5 billion.
A third crackdown in Bali intercepted around 20 000 bottles of illegal alcoholic beverage (MMEA), valued at Rp 12.55 billion, and prevented an estimated revenue loss of Rp 2.14 billion. The operation, carried out on 23 July 2026, followed intelligence that led to a vehicle stop on Jalan Padma, Legian, Badung. All three seizures were conducted by the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) in coordination with BAIS TNI and the Indonesian National Police.
Entities: BAIS TNI · Bali · Bantul · Bea Cukai · Burkina Faso · Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) · Directorate General of Customs and Excise (Indonesia) · Djaka Budhi Utama · Minuman Mengandung Etil Alkohol (MMEA) · Mohd Saufi Bin Othman · Rita Hidayanto · Rusman Hadi
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Indonesian customs seized about 20,000 bottles (about 14,500 liters) of illegal liquor in Bali. (multiple sources)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Indonesian customs seized 19,142 bottles (about 14,400 liters) of illegal liquor in Bali. (multiple sources)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The seized liquor was valued at Rp12.55 billion. (multiple sources)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The operation saved an estimated Rp2.14 billion in potential customs revenue loss. (multiple sources)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Vehicles were intercepted on Jalan Padma, Legian, Badung, after departing from a building on Jalan Laksamana III, Banjar Babakan Sari, Denpasar Timur. (multiple sources)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The seizure was carried out on 23 July 2026 by a joint team of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise and BAIS TNI. (multiple sources)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Indonesian customs seized 3.428 tonnes of liquid mercury hidden in ceramic containers destined for Burkina Faso, valued at about Rp 17.5 billion. (source)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The pilot involved in the ecstasy smuggling was detained as a suspect by police and customs authorities. (source)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Mohd Saufi Bin Othman, a Malaysian citizen, was detained after customs found about 26 kg of MDMA (ecstasy) and 4 g of methamphetamine in his luggage at Soekarno‑Hatta Airport on 30 July 2026. (source)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The mercury was concealed in 251 plastic bottles and 71 jeriken wrapped in aluminium foil inside a 20‑foot container inspected at Surabaya petikemas terminal on 24 July 2026. (source)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The illegal alcohol operation in Bali was uncovered after intelligence led to a vehicle stop on Jalan Padma, Legian, Badung, on 23 July 2026. (source)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The mercury seizure violated Indonesia’s implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury. (source)