The East Kalimantan Police seized six kilograms of crystal methamphetamine from a suspected smuggler. The drugs, from Tawau, Malaysia, were reportedly to be smuggled into and sold in South Sulawesi.

“When we arrested the suspect, we found the crystal meth, which was divided into six large packages. One package weighed 1.1 kg, while the other five weighed more than 900 grams each,” the police’s criminal investigation director Sr. Comr. Kris Erlangga AW said in Balikpapan on Monday.

The haul is worth an estimated Rp 1.8 billion (US$132,674.94).

Erlangga said the police had traced the smuggler since he was in Tarakan on Oct. 9, where he later departed for Balikpapan using a regular transportation route.

The police said the 67-year-old man was arrested at the Kariangau ferry port in Balikpapan on Sunday when he was about to travel to Mamuju, South Sulawesi.

The suspect claimed he was promised Rp 120 million for delivering the packages, which he would receive at the destination. “He only received Rp 1.5 million,” said Erlangga.

He confirmed the crystal meth was made locally in Tawau, Malaysia. As of October, the East Kalimantan Police have thwarted six major attempts to smuggle drugs into Indonesia, with confiscated evidence weighing from 3 kg to 11 kg. (dra/ebf)