Barelang police burn seized drugs as cartel shifts from meth to pills and vape liquids.
Authorities in Batam destroyed methamphetamine and narcotic-laced vape cartridges seized in recent operations, highlighting both stronger enforcement and a changing drug market targeting individual users.
Coordinated Operations And Seizures
Barelang City Police, working with Batam Customs and other law enforcement agencies, confiscated 1,075 grams of methamphetamine and 1,931 vape cartridges containing harmful substances over the last two months, arresting 13 suspects now facing prosecution under Indonesian narcotics laws.
Shift From Meth To Pills And Vapes
Narcotics unit chief Commissioner Arsyad Riyandi said Batam’s drug trend has shifted, with pills and vape liquids containing narcotics increasingly dominating the black market compared with earlier years when crystal meth was the main product circulating among users.
Smuggling Routes And Foreign Supply
Investigators found most of the illicit drugs originated from Malaysia and were brought into Batam through port corridors, with many shipments intercepted at entry points while others briefly reached local users before being traced and seized by police and customs teams.
High Value Vape Cartridges And Target Users
Forensic tests showed the seized vapes came in multiple flavors with varying narcotic content, and each cartridge was valued at around Rp2.5 million to Rp4 million on the black market, marketed primarily to individual buyers seeking discreet consumption rather than traditional street deals.
Public Destruction And Strong Message
Police chief Senior Commissioner Anggoro Wicaksono led a public destruction ceremony at Barelang Police headquarters, where officers and representatives from Customs, the district court and the Batam National Narcotics Agency burned the evidence in an incinerator to underline Batam’s firm stance against cross border drug trafficking.
The Barelang police operation and destruction of meth and narcotic vapes show both the persistence and evolution of drug threats moving through Batam’s maritime gateways. Indonesians and Singaporeans share an interest in robust port monitoring, joint investigations and community education to counter high value narcotics disguised as lifestyle products and to keep cross border criminal networks from gaining a stronger foothold in the Riau Islands and nearby city states.
Sources: Batampos (2026) , Batam Today (2026)
Keywords: Barelang Police, Meth Seizure, Narcotic Vape Cartridges, Malaysia Smuggling Routes, Drug Market Trends
