Hong Kong (Antara) - The National Narcotic Agency (BNN) will propose cooperation to strengthen maritime interdiction to cut drug trafficking networks in the four-day meeting of Asean senior officials on drugs (ASOD) opening in Singapore on Monday.
"This is important as most Asean countries are bordered on seas," BNN chief Anang Iskandar told Antara news agency here before leaving for Singapore on Sunday night.
Anang said drug trafficking is made mainly through sea routes.
Indonesia share sea borders with most of other Asean member countries.
"Strategic position of Indonesia provides a strategic route for illegal drug trafficking," Anang said.
He said Indonesia has become a major target of international drug syndicates in smuggling illicit drugs notably amphetamine type stimulants (ATS), ecstasy and methamphetamine crystals.
"Almost 40 percent of cases of drug abuses in Asean are in Indonesia. Currently there are around 4.2 million drug users in Indonesia," he said.
Stronger cooperation among Asean countries is needed to fight the illicit trade, he said.(*)
