The law came at night to the international terminal. Indonesian authorities intercepted two Chinese nationals at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Thursday, July 9, 2026. The men belonged to an international drug syndicate operating across Malaysia and Indonesia. They carried psychotropic drugs hidden inside ordinary bags of coffee and chocolate milk.
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Subscribe Sekarang →Brigadier General Eko Hadi Santoso, director of the police drug enforcement unit, confirmed the arrests on Saturday. A joint task force of elite police units and airport customs officials conducted the operation. The officers moved in on the suspects around 10:30 p.m. inside the arrival hall of Terminal 3.
The police identified the two men as Zou Lihua and Zhang Shijie. A thorough search of their luggage revealed 3.4 kilograms of illicit psychotropic substances. The drugs were concealed beneath the guise of everyday grocery items.
During initial questioning, Zou confessed to working for a handler known only as Yining. The coordination happened through the encrypted messaging application Telegram. The handler promised a payment of 500 dollars for the transport of the illicit cargo.
According to the police director, Zou received a down payment of 200 dollars in mid-June while staying in Cambodia. Zou had traveled extensively across Southeast Asia, moving through Cambodia and Malaysia before returning to China. In July, he returned to Malaysia on the orders of another handler named Qirin.
Zou flew from Chongqing to Malaysia to retrieve the shipment. An unidentified courier delivered the package to him from a basement location near the airport. The courier wore a mask and a hat, never stepping out of his vehicle. Zou then met his acquaintance, Zhang, who agreed to join the trip to Indonesia after being offered a free plane ticket.
Zou told his companion the sealed bags contained harmless medical equipment. The two men boarded a flight to Jakarta on Thursday evening. The syndicate organizers had already transmitted photographs of the couriers and a secret identification code, "VIP 8888", to the contact person waiting in Indonesia. The police arrived before the contact could make the pickup.
The two men had known each other from their time in Cambodia, where Zhang operated a restaurant. They communicated via WeChat because Telegram remains blocked inside China. Zhang claimed he had no knowledge of the hidden drugs, believing the packages contained nothing more than commercial coffee sachets.
Investigators remain skeptical of the claims. The police unit continues to interrogate the suspects and trace the higher echelons of the international smuggling network.