INDONESIAN anti-narcotics operatives have arrested four foreigners who attempted to smuggle drugs into Jakarta, including a Nigerian man who had swallowed dozens of capsules filled with more than a kilogram of methamphetamine.

A police spokesperson said during a press conference that a Brazilian and three Nigerian men were arrested separately between January and March at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and several apartments in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital.

Indonesia is a major hub for drug trafficking in Southeast Asia and has strict drug laws, with convicted smugglers most often executed by firing squad.

Jakarta Police Director of Drug Investigation Mukti Juharsa believed the arrested suspects were from an international syndicate.

He added that the suspects would be punished according to law, which includes a maximum death sentence.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says Indonesia is a major smuggling hub in part because international drug syndicates target its young population.