Antara News·Indonesia·Tuesday, October 27, 2026 at 11:05 AM UTC

Navy, Customs seizes 1.1 kg of gold concealed inside foreign national

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Walda Marison, Yashinta Difa

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Navy and Customs intercepted an Indian national smuggling 1,144 grams of high-purity gold dust, valued at Rp2.9 billion (approximately US$161,981), hidden inside his body at Juanda International Airport in East Java.

The suspect, identified by the initials MM, 31, was intercepted on Thursday (October 22), following a tip-off received by the Navy’s Security Task Force at the airport regarding a passenger aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH-870 on the Surabaya–Kuala Lumpur route suspected of illegally transporting precious metals.

Acting on the intelligence, a joint team searched the airport premises and apprehended the suspect. He was subsequently taken to a hospital for a medical examination.

"The individual was subsequently taken to a hospital for an X-ray, which revealed three suspicious objects inside his body. The gold dust had been packed into three contraceptives and inserted into his body," Head of the Indonesian Navy’s Information Service First Admiral Tunggul said in a statement on Tuesday.

Once extracted, laboratory analysis confirmed the seized material to be 99.5 percent pure gold, equivalent to 23.88 karats.

The haul weighed a total of 1,144.18 grams, carrying an estimated market value of Rp2,917,659,000 (approximately US$161,981).

Authorities have confiscated the contraband as evidence and placed the suspect in custody for ongoing interrogation.

Tunggul noted that the act violates Article 102A of Law Number 17 of 2006 on Customs for attempting to export goods without submitting a valid customs declaration.

The Navy reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to stamping out illicit smuggling activities across Indonesia’s land, sea, and air borders.

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