Crystal Waters

TWO men disembark from a wooden boat at Pasir Panjang Beach on Tuesday three weeks ago. Carrying a large box, they walked toward a man on a motorcycle waiting just beyond the beach. After fastening the box to the bike, the man on the motorbike took off, disappearing behind a bend in the road.

Pasir Panjang Beach is on Rupat Island, Bengkalis Regency, Riau. According to a study by the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), the island has become a gateway for drug smuggling on the Malacca Strait. The 1,524-square-kilometer island has dozens of small ports and there are indications that major kingpins in Pekanbaru and Jakarta are using the island to traffic drugs.

June 16, 2015