Tangerang, Banten (ANTARA) - Indonesian authorities, with the crucial assistance of Thai law enforcement, have apprehended RN, an alleged mastermind behind a sophisticated clandestine drug laboratory operating in Badung District, Bali.
RN had been on the wanted list (DPO) since May 2024 and was apprehended at U-Tapao Rayong Airport by the Thai National Police before he could depart for Dubai on December 19.
Extradited, RN arrived in Indonesia via Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (Soetta) in Tangerang, Banten, on Sunday evening. Brigadier General Mukti Juharsa, Director of Drug Crimes at the National Police Criminal Investigation Unit, informed reporters in a press conference on Sunday that RN had been residing in Bangkok for three and a half months.
"Based on the information received, the Police Attaché at the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok engaged in intensive coordination with all relevant stakeholders to facilitate the return of the perpetrator," he explained.
Following the handover from Thai authorities, the Indonesian Police immediately transported RN back to Indonesia for legal proceedings in accordance with Indonesian law.
Juharsa stated that RN was the mastermind behind the clandestine laboratory, playing a crucial role in the entire process of establishing and operating the laboratory within a villa in the Tibubeneng area of Badung District, Bali.
"He owned the necessary equipment, converted the villa's basement into a laboratory, and also provided financial support and controlled the couriers who were previously arrested," he said.
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Furthermore, his team will conduct further investigation and processing of RN. Juharsa stated that RN could face the death penalty, life imprisonment, or a fine of Rp10 billion (approximately US$596 thousand).
In May 2024, the Directorate of Drug Crimes apprehended three foreign nationals involved in operating a clandestine drug laboratory within a villa in the Tibubeneng area of Badung District, Bali.
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They had leased the villa for a period of 24 years and 8 months and converted it into a clandestine laboratory serving the Indonesian Hydra network, specializing in the production of hydroponic marijuana and mephedrone.
