O

fficials say they have foiled an attempt to smuggle more than 15 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine in five boxes of powdered milk through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Describing what he said was the largest such bust in two years, Customs and Excise Office chief Agung Kuswandono told reporters on Tuesday that the drugs were found during an inspection of the luggage of “nervous” passengers upon their arrival at terminal 2E.

“They [officers] then discovered a total of 15.33 kg of crystal methamphetamine in the boxes. The drugs are worth Rp 20.7 billion [US$2.1 million],” Agung said.

Three men were named as suspects in the case: Philippine nationals JA, 35; RD, 47; and AD, 61; who all arrived in Indonesia on a Garuda Indonesia flight from Hong Kong on April 2.

Agung said that the drugs had been taken into evidence and the suspects remanded to the police for investigation.

Police also reportedly nabbed a Chinese national identified as A and an Indonesian identified as Y who were supposed to pick up the Filipinos at the airport.

Airport police chief Sr. Comr. Chuzaini Patoppoy said that the Filipinos had brazenly attempted to carry the drugs through the airport on their own.

“We’re still questioning A and Y. We’re also looking into possible links between them and international drug syndicates,” he said.

Meanwhile, airport customs office chief Okto Irianto said the suspects, allegedly mules for a Brazilian narcotics syndicate, said that they had been promised $1,500 each to deliver the drugs to middlemen in Jakarta.

“The three Philippine nationals are drug couriers who have repeatedly smuggled drugs into a number of countries,” Oko said. “This was their first visit to Indonesia, where they are nabbed.”

Okto said that he suspected that drug smuggling syndicates might have recently changed their patterns, favoring stops in the Philippines to throw off the scent of officials, en route from Hong Kong via Singapore or Malaysia.

Customs officers say that they have foiled 31 drug smuggling attempts at the airport and arrested 23 Indonesians, an African, five Chinese and four Philipine nationals since January. Officers have also seized drugs worth a total of Rp 186 billion.