TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Drug Crime Directorate of the Indonesian National Police (Dittipidnarkoba Bareskrim Polri) has captured fugitive Andre Fernando, also known as Ko Andre, in Penang, Malaysia. Commissioner Kevin Leleury, Chief of the Narcotic Investigation Center (NIC) Task Force at the Indonesian National Police's Drug Crime Directorate (Dittipidnarkoba Bareskrim Polri), revealed that the man dubbed 'The Doctor' had been residing in the neighboring country for two years.
'Based on the interrogation results, Andre, also known as Charlie or The Doctor, has been in Malaysia since 2024,' Kevin said at the Indonesian National Police's Bareskrim building on Monday, April 6, 2026.
Kevin stated that a joint team from the Indonesian National Police's Drug Crime Directorate (Dittipidnarkoba Bareskrim Polri), the Police's International Relations Division (Divhubinter Polri), and Interpol apprehended Andre on Sunday afternoon, April 5, 2026. During the arrest, the team found Andre alone in an apartment in Penang, Malaysia.
Kevin explained that Ko Andre was a supplier for two drug syndicates operating in Indonesia. These were the network of Erwin Iskandar, also known as Ko Erwin, a dealer in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, and a syndicate at the White Rabbit nightclub in Jakarta. From the capture, the police seized various pieces of evidence, including bags and several mobile phones.
Investigators officially designated Andre as a wanted person (DPO) based on Letter No. DPO/32/III/2026/Dittipidnarkoba dated March 1, 2026. In the drug trafficking network, Ko Andre acted as a seller or distributor who smuggled drugs into Indonesia via land, cargo, and sea routes.
In his operations, Andre concealed etomidate in vapes and labeled them with the brands Ferrari and Lamborghini. He shipped vapes containing etomidate through the sea route from Malaysia to Dumai, Riau.
For crystal meth, Andre more frequently used the cargo route. He packaged the crystal meth in dolls wrapped in gift boxes. Andre and Erwin Iskandar, or Ko Erwin, conducted transactions through intermediaries Charlie and Arfan. They then shipped the crystal meth to Bima and handed it over to two of Erwin's men, Satriawan, alias Awan, and Akhsan Al Fadil, alias Genda.
Ko Andre's name surfaced after the police apprehended two of his couriers, Charles Bernando, alias Charlie, and Arfan Yulius Lauw, alias Refan, at the Tokyo Riverside Apartment in Tangerang, Banten, on Saturday, February 28, 2026.
Ko Andre is also suspected of helping Ko Erwin flee to Malaysia through the waters of Tanjung Pasir, North Sumatra. However, the National Police arrested Ko Erwin when he was already on a boat on Thursday, February 26, 2026.
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