Indonesian court jails Malaysian for drug smuggling

 An Indonesian court has sentenced a Malaysian national, Voo Wei Chen, to 15 years in prison for smuggling liquid narcotics and methamphetamine into Tanjungpinang, the capital of Riau Islands Province.

The ruling, delivered on January 27 by presiding judge Fausi at the Tanjungpinang District Court, also imposed a fine of 500 million rupiah (approximately US$32,300), with an additional three months’ imprisonment if the fine is not paid.

The court found Voo guilty of possessing and acting as an intermediary in the sale of narcotics brought from Malaysia.

Authorities seized 10 bottles of liquid narcotics and a package of methamphetamine, which were ordered destroyed, along with a confiscated iPhone used in the crime.

Voo was arrested at Sri Bintan Pura Port in May 2025, and told investigators he had been instructed by a man known as Ah Boon, who remains at large.

Both prosecutors and the defendant are considering whether to appeal.

Prosecutors had initially sought a heavier fine of one billion rupiah and a subsidiary six-month prison term.

Indonesia enforces some of the world’s toughest drug laws, with traffickers facing life imprisonment or the death penalty.

Yet despite these strict penalties, the country remains a major target for drug syndicates.

The National Narcotics Agency estimates the domestic drug trade is worth 66 trillion rupiah (US$4.3 billion), with 3.4 million Indonesians identified as users.