Share this article
Indonesian Authorities Bust Synthetic Marijuana Lab Supported by Crypto
The syndicate had been operating for six months before being apprehended last week.
Updated May 7, 2024, 10:34 a.m. Published May 7, 2024, 10:31 a.m.
Indonesian police took down a lab making fake marijuana in an upscale area of Sentul, Bogor Regency, West Java, last week.
Deputy Chief of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, Brigadier General Suyudi Ario Seto, revealed that the main ingredients came from China and were paid for with cryptocurrency. It is unclear how much raw material had been bought using crypto.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
“These ingredients are from China. They paid with crypto,” said Suyudi during a press conference last Thursday, as reported by Kumparan. He added that the drug, known as PINACA, is usually made abroad and shipped to Indonesia, but now they’re making it locally.
The lab produced MDMB-4en-PINACA, a synthetic chemical similar to weed, which is classified as a serious drug according to Health Ministry Regulation No. 30 of 2023.
The syndicate had been operating for six months and involved five suspects: two makers, one warehouse keeper, a seller, and an investor. They face serious charges under various sections of Law No. 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics, with a maximum punishment of death.
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
French Banking Giant BPCE to Roll Out Crypto Trading for 2M Retail Clients
The service will allow customers to buy and sell BTC, ETH, SOL, and USDC through a separate digital asset account managed by Hexarq.
What to know:
- French banking group BPCE will start offering crypto trading services to 2 million retail customers through its Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Épargne apps, with plans to expand to 12 million customers by 2026.
- The service will allow customers to buy and sell BTC, ETH, SOL, and USDC through a separate digital asset account managed by Hexarq, with a €2.99 monthly fee and 1.5% transaction commission.
- The move follows similar initiatives by other European banks, such as BBVA, Santander, and Raiffeisen Bank, which have already started offering crypto trading services to their customers.
Top Stories
