National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian has said the force would take a tougher approach against drug dealers, following the largest ever seizure of crystal methamphetamine, locally called “shabu-shabu,” from China last week.

The police arrested four Taiwanese men who allegedly attempted to distribute the drugs in Greater Jakarta and shot dead one for resisting arrest.

In a press conference at the Jakarta Police station on Thursday, Tito claimed that a lot of drug dealers thought that Indonesia was a potential market because they considered its drug laws weaker than those of Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.

“On this occasion, we want to emphasize that the police would act firmly and toughly, especially against the foreign [drug dealers]. I even told [officers] to act by ‘custom,' which means if they resist [arrest], shoot. In this case, one Taiwanese was shot dead,” Tito said.

Tito alleged that the suspects had used a cruise ship, called the Wanderlust, to smuggle one ton of crystal meth from Taiwan to Indonesia.

After dropping the drugs off, the Wanderlust went to the Java Sea, Karimata Strait and Batam.

Through cooperation with the customs and excise directorate and the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), the police found the ship in Batam.

Tito said the police would search the docked cruise ship to find out whether the suspects had carried any drugs other than the crystal meth. (hol/cal)