Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia and Malaysia share responsibility for protecting the region from drug trafficking, Indonesia’s National Narcotics Agency (BNN) said following a bilateral meeting with Malaysia’s Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (JSJN) in Bali on Tuesday. BNN head commissioner General Suyudi Ario Seto emphasized that drug trafficking is a transnational crime requiring close cooperation. “Strengthening coordination, rapid information exchange, and increasing surveillance in border areas, airports, and ports are important steps in joint handling,” he said in a statement on Friday.BNN highlighted the increasingly complex methods used by drug syndicates, noting the emergence of more than 1,400 new psychoactive substances worldwide. Among recent concerns is the abuse of etomidate, particularly in e‑cigarettes, uncovered in a clandestine laboratory case in Bali. Suyudi stressed that the Golden Triangle remains a major route for narcotics entering Indonesia, with Malaysia serving as a transit hub in the regional distribution network. The meeting with Hussein Omar Khan, director of JSJN Malaysia, was held on the sidelines of the Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Program (CPDAP). Both sides used the opportunity to strengthen synergy in combating transnational drug crimes. Discussions also covered cooperation in backtracking, financial tracking, and the use of Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) to confiscate assets derived from drug trafficking. Indonesia and Malaysia agreed to establish more responsive and sustainable communication channels to ensure swift and effective law enforcement in breaking the chain of narcotics trafficking in the region, Suyudi concluded.