B

atam Customs Office patrol boats were shot at while pursuing a wooden boat laden with smuggled goods that had just left Singaporean waters.

Firearm shots and Molotov cocktails were aimed at the patrol boats, which failed to foil the smuggling attempt.

The incident took place on March 29, in Batam, Riau Islands. The Batam Customs and Excise Office disclosed the information through a video recording of the attack, in which the smugglers showed strong resistance.

The customs office’s investigation chief, Ahmad Budi Laksana, said on Friday that the BC 7005 patrol boat was conducting a routine patrol in waters off Batam and noticed the fully laden wooden boat being escorted by two smaller boats.

The wooden boat, which was entering waters off Tanjung Sengkuang, Batam, was carrying 10 men brandishing sharp weapons.

“The patrol boat met with resistance when it approached the wooden boat. The smaller boats fired warning shots, while those in the wooden boat tossed Molotov cocktails at the patrol boat. We then deployed other patrol boats to pursue the smugglers, but the fight intensified and they managed to flee,” said Ahmad.

The smugglers entered a port in Tanjung Sengkuang, near a naval base. This is the third such incident in the past two years.

Ahmad said the patrol boats were unable to fire back because they were not equipped with firearms.

“The boat is believed to have been carrying valuable smuggled goods so they put up a fierce fight. We have reported the incident to the Indonesian Navy and police,” he said.

Based on the footage, the customs officers were powerless against the smugglers. The smugglers tossed a number of Molotov cocktails, resulting in the aft of BC 7005 catching fire. They also fired shots.

Separately, security guards and customs officers at Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam intercepted on Friday 1.58 kilograms of crystal meth from the luggage of an Indonesian migrant worker returning from Malaysia.

Hang Nadim Airport commercial affairs head Dendi Gustinandar said his office had handed over the contraband, detected by security officers, to the customs office for further investigation.

Officers at the X-ray machine found a suspicious package inside a food parcel in the man’s bag. The bag was then examined manually and the owner of the luggage was detained. After examination, a package containing 1.58 kg of crystal meth was found.

The drug bust on Friday was the fourth at the airport in less than a month.