Reducing Drug-Related Crime

This presentation will be featured at Indonesia 2025, on the 17.09.2025.

Author: 

Tery Zakiar Muslim - Human Resources Bureau of the National Narcotics Board (BNN)

Abstract:

Drug-related crime remains a major challenge for many countries, including Indonesia. The concept of reducing drug-related crime refers to efforts aimed at lowering crime rates that are directly or indirectly triggered by the abuse and trafficking of narcotics. This approach not only emphasizes law enforcement against drug dealers and criminal syndicates, but also includes preventive strategies, user rehabilitation, disruption of criminal networks, and community-based interventions. In Indonesia, drug-related crime is closely intertwined with various other forms of criminality and social issues, such as the smuggling of narcotics through maritime routes, the rise in plantation theft—particularly palm oil theft driven by the consumptive needs of drug users in regions like Sumatra—and the emergence of violence and exploitation within criminal ecosystems.

Maritime drug crime has become a key concern due to Indonesia’s extensive coastline—spanning approximately 100,000 kilometers—which leaves it vulnerable to international trafficking networks such as the Golden Triangle. Meanwhile, rural areas in Sumatra and Kalimantan face mounting social threats resulting from drug-related criminal activities. Environmental criminology and the Routine Activity Theory offer valuable insights into why crime thrives in unmonitored environments. On the other hand, the Social Network Analysis (SNA) approach provides an effective method for mapping and disrupting drug distribution chains embedded in local social structures.

In this context, Indonesia’s National Narcotics Board (BNN) has established several strategic priorities, including the strengthening of cross-sectoral collaboration, enhancement of intelligence capabilities through big data analytics, and empowerment of coastal and border communities. Building community resilience in these vulnerable zones is deemed critical, as they often serve as entry points for drug smuggling. The P4GN program (Prevention, Eradication, Abuse and Illicit Trafficking of Narcotics) is therefore being adapted to suit the specific local characteristics of each region. Furthermore, BNN promotes data-driven and research-based policymaking, including the development of a national drug vulnerability map and the implementation of thematic interventions tailored to local contexts such as fishing villages, industrial zones, and rural communities. Sustainable efforts to reduce drug-related crime require the synergy of all national stakeholders, active public participation, and institutional modernization through the strengthening of human resources, budgeting, and infrastructure.