Indonesian police bust illegal marijuana plantation in Bromo National Park, seize 38,000 plants

JAKARTA: Tens of thousands of marijuana plants were discovered within Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java, Indonesia, with authorities seizing approximately 38,000 plants during an operation on Tuesday (Sep 24). 

Robert Da Costa, Director of Drug Detection for East Java Police, told Indonesian media outlets that the land where the plants were found spanned approximately 1.5 hectares. The marijuana was planted in isolated and rugged mountain terrain to “hinder detection by authorities”, Mr Da Costa said.  

Four suspects have been detained as authorities seek to identify key figures behind the illegal operation. “They have been planting marijuana since January 2024,” Mr Da Costa said. “From January to September, some plants were harvested and others were not,” he added. 

Indonesia has some of the world’s toughest drug laws, including the death penalty for traffickers. Cannabis, for consumption or even medical purposes, remains illegal in the country despite growing calls across the world for legalisation. 

The illegal operation to cultivate the plants began earlier in January, Mr Da Costa said, with some areas found to have been already harvested while others remained untouched.

Police investigations began on Sep 19 after local authorities discovered 453 marijuana plants growing on the slopes of Mount Semeru in the village of Argosari. Subsequent searches led to the discovery of much larger marijuana fields, with plants recorded standing between 1.5 and 2 metres tall and estimated to be between three and four months old, indicating that they were ready for harvest.

Law enforcement efforts intensified as the search area expanded, officials said, and more marijuana plants were uncovered across the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. 

Local media reports said that the suspects had chosen rugged and difficult mountain terrain to hinder detection by authorities.  

“The terrain they chose was extremely challenging, making it hard for our officers to access the area,” Mr Da Costa said as quoted by Antara news agency.

Indonesian authorities have yet to release the identities of those arrested but are continuing their investigations, aiming to dismantle a larger network of dealers and traders believed to be connected to the cultivation operation. “We strongly believe that other actors are involved in this operation. We will continue our investigation until all individuals responsible are apprehended and face justice,” Mr Da Costa said. 

Based on preliminary reports, the plants were not sold for export but circulated locally around East Java, reported CNN Indonesia. 

“We are actively broadening our sweeps and investigations as we suspect additional fields remain undiscovered,” he added. 

Local residents had not only provided critical information leading to the discovery, they also assisted officers in the ongoing search efforts, he said. 

Over the weekend, local police had also discovered a location used to process the marijuana harvests, well-hidden in the forested areas of the national park that was surrounded by dense vegetation on steep terrains. At least 10 kilograms of dried marijuana was seized from the site, officials said. 

Indonesia authorities have not yet confirmed if the latest seizure was the largest drug bust in recent history. Similar operations have played out in other parts of Indonesia in recent years. In 2022, officers from Indonesia’s National Narcotics Agency (BNN) dismantled a marijuana plantation in North Sumatra spanning around 5 hectares and seized 50,000 cannabis plants. Drones were used to locate the plantation. 

This year in August, BNN officers destroyed 3.5 tons of marijuana which was harvested from two hectares of illegal fields in the province of Aceh. 

Marijuana fields, spanning an area of around 4 hectares across three locations in Aceh, were destroyed by BNN officers earlier in March.