The North Sumatra Police have shot dead three men, including a Malaysian national, during a drug raid in Medan on Monday. The three were suspected of being involved in an international drug ring.

The Malaysian man, identified as 57-year-old Chin Yoo Fah, aka Acin, worked as a chef in a Kuala Lumpur restaurant, while the two other men were Tan Siong Tiong, 45, and Joni, 47, of North Sumatra's Deli Serdang regency.

The suspects were shot dead when they resisted arrest during the raid, North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw told reporters on Monday.

“We confiscated 15 kilograms of crystal meth that were allegedly planned for distribution to Pekanbaru, Riau,” said Paulus, adding that the suspects were thought to be part of a drug syndicate that ran a Malaysia-Medan-Pekanbaru smuggling operation.

The police believed that Acin was responsible for carrying the drug, which was confiscated from the three dead suspects, from Malaysia through Aceh by sea, and that his job as a chef was a cover.

Paulus said the police uncovered the drug smuggling ring following the Jan. 3 arrest of a drug dealer in Medan.

The North Sumatra Police have imposed a "shoot-to-kill" policy against drug dealers, arguing that harsh measures were needed to combat the rampant drug trafficking in the province. Despite the harsh policy, drug smuggling has continued unabated.

“We won’t stop eradicating these dealers,” Paulus said.

Indonesia’s war on drugs has taken an increasingly lethal turn with authorities advocating a hardline approach against offenders, and resulted in the fatal shooting of 79 suspected drug dealers by law enforcement personnel last year. (kuk)