Indonesia weighs tighter ketamine controls amid surge in seizures, abuse cases

Ketamine is a medicine used as an anaesthetic, meaning it helps produce a state suitable for medical procedures. In some cases, it is also used as a fast-acting antidepressant to relieve depressive symptoms. Its medical value depends on controlled dosing and professional administration. That matters because the same substance can produce very different risks when used illegally.

Outside medical care, ketamine is abused for hallucinogenic and dissociative effects. These effects can alter perception and a person’s sense of reality. Ketamine powder has also been reported in the illicit manufacture of other substances, including custom-mixed Ecstasy. The drug’s appeal therefore extends beyond individual use and into wider illegal markets.

Indonesia already strictly regulates ketamine. Patients need a doctor’s prescription, and only medical professionals may administer it. BPOM classified it last year as a certain, prone-to-abuse drug after illegal use increased. Authorities are now considering stronger controls because medical usefulness has not prevented growing abuse and large-scale trafficking.

Indonesian authorities intercepted three major ketamine shipments in waters linked to regional maritime routes. The largest recent seizure involved 1.16 tonnes of ketamine hydrochloride packed in 58 sacks aboard the Mongolian-flagged MT Global 168 in the Malacca Strait. Police and customs officials detained seven Indonesians and one Chinese national.

On August 6, officials seized 1.3 tonnes worth an estimated US$149 million from the Tanzania-flagged MV King Sun. The vessel had sailed from Thailand, and the seizure took place north of Tanjung Berakit in Riau Islands province. Later that month, authorities confiscated about 800kg from a Comoros-flagged vessel in North Natuna waters. Nine Myanmar citizens and one Taiwanese national were detained.

These cases show repeated seizures involving foreign-flagged ships and international crews. The MT Global 168 cargo was valued at 3.48 trillion rupiah, or US$192 million. Authorities said it had been transferred ship-to-ship in the Andaman Sea before interception.

Ketamine abuse cases in Indonesia more than tripled between 2022 and 2024. BPOM reported 134,000 cases in 2022, 235,000 in 2023, and 440,000 in 2024. The agency’s head said cases declined in 2025, but he gave no figure. The trend matters because it points to rapidly expanding demand inside the country.

Seizure data show a similar jump. Indonesia confiscated almost 1.3 tonnes in 2025, compared with just 24.9kg in 2024. That is a sharp increase, although seizures measure drugs intercepted, not necessarily total consumption. Three large maritime seizures described in the article contributed to concern about supply routes.

Across East and Southeast Asia, authorities seized 52.5 tonnes in 2025. The UNODC said this was 185 per cent higher than in 2024, with Southeast Asia accounting for 88 per cent. It linked demand to party-goers, social media, peer networks, and use among youth.

The National Narcotics Agency, or BNN, has repeatedly urged the health ministry to classify ketamine as a narcotic. BPOM instead has called for it to be reclassified as a psychotropic substance. Both proposals seek tighter legal control as abuse cases and major seizures rise. A criminal law expert said traffickers had taken advantage of ketamine’s status as a non-narcotic substance.

In broad terms, a narcotic classification places a substance within laws focused on drugs associated with dependence, abuse, and illegal trafficking. A psychotropic classification covers substances that affect mental processes and may also require strict control. The categories are legal systems, not simple statements that one drug is harmless or dangerous. Indonesia’s laws determine their precise effects.

Reclassification could make illegal possession, use, and distribution easier to prosecute under specific provisions. Hery Firmansyah supported narcotic status if ketamine is shown to cause dependency or addiction. Ove Syaifudin Abdullah urged a comprehensive study first. The article does not report a final decision.

Changing ketamine’s legal category could turn more forms of illegal involvement into clearly chargeable offences. The article identifies possible criminal prosecution and prison sentences for people involved in illegal use and distribution. The consequences would not automatically be identical for everyone. They would depend on the applicable law and the person’s conduct.

A user, a local distributor, and an international trafficking crew could therefore face different legal treatment. Authorities might distinguish personal use from possession for sale, organised distribution, or bringing large shipments into Indonesia. The article does not specify proposed sentence lengths. It does report that crews connected with three maritime seizures were detained.

The prison impact is a major concern because Indonesia already has overcrowded prisons. Hery Firmansyah said users could be rehabilitated, but services must be transparent, accountable, and professional. A tougher category could strengthen enforcement, yet sending more people into prison could worsen overcrowding if rehabilitation and proportional legal responses are not available.

The article describes international networks using maritime routes to move ketamine toward Indonesia. Ship operators register vessels under different flags, crews come from multiple countries, and cargo can change vessels at sea. These features make supply chains cross-border before Indonesian authorities intercept them. The evidence comes from seizures, detained crews, and the reported origins of vessels.

MT Global 168 was Mongolian-flagged and owned by a company based in Malaysia’s Johor Bahru. Police said it conducted a ship-to-ship ketamine transfer in the Andaman Sea during October’s second week. MV King Sun was Tanzania-flagged and had sailed from Thailand. Another vessel was Comoros-flagged and carried people from Myanmar and Taiwan.

The article also identifies the lower Mekong region, including Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, as a growing site of illicit ketamine manufacture. It does not map the full route into Indonesia. However, the combination of regional production, sea transfers, foreign vessels, and international crews shows why enforcement requires cooperation across borders.

Drug scheduling is the legal process of placing a substance into a category based on factors such as medical use, abuse risk, and dependence concerns. The category then shapes who may prescribe, supply, possess, or administer it, and what penalties apply to illegal conduct. Indonesia currently strictly regulates ketamine but does not classify it as a narcotic.

A new category could affect medical access by adding controls around prescribing and administration. It could also give police and prosecutors clearer authority over possession, distribution, and trafficking. At the same time, classification does not by itself determine every outcome. The relevant provisions and the person’s conduct still matter, as the article notes.

Reclassification could increase demand for treatment if more users enter the justice system or seek help. Hery Firmansyah said rehabilitation should be transparent, accountable, and professional. It could also add pressure to Indonesia’s overcrowded prisons if enforcement relies heavily on imprisonment. Officials therefore face a balance between control, medical access, treatment, and prison capacity.