Police confiscate marijuana-laced ciggies

The Jakarta Post, Mataram

At least 138 packs of cigarettes containing marijuana have been confiscated by officers of the narcotics division of the West Nusa Tenggara Police, an officer said Monday.

West Nusa Tenggara Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. HM Basri said that the cigarettes, confiscated Saturday, bore the trademark BR and were produced by a Jakarta-based cigarette company identified only by its initials as PT SBAS.

""The investigation has been going on for a long time...nearly one month. Laboratory tests confirm the cigarettes contain marijuana,"" Basri said.

Based on laboratory tests from the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) in Mataram, certified by the agency's chairperson Dewi Parwita Sari, the cigarettes contained marijuana, he said.

""As marijuana is classified as a first level narcotic substance, police have to take action,"" he said.

Basri further explained that the BR cigarettes were completely different from ordinary ones as they bore a written message: Nicotine free and not recommended for those who are not accustomed to smoking.

He said that the cigarettes were confiscated from three distributors in Mataram.

Police are currently searching for the same product in a number of shopping centers throughout Mataram.

The police also plan to test the cigarettes at the police forensic laboratory in Bali to verify the results.