Drug seized from Indian national at Jakarta airport

Customs and excise officers have arrested another Indian national for trying to smuggle drugs into the country at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Bahaduri Wijayanta, the chief of the customs office at the airport, said Tuesday that officers had seized 2.5 kilograms of ketamine worth Rp 2.5 billion (US$270,000) from the suspect identified as Chetan Ashokal Rohra, 25.

He said the suspect flew from India on Philippine Airlines flight PR 503 and arrived at the airport on Monday.

“Officers became suspicious because the suspect, who claimed he was visiting Jakarta for the first time, looked nervous when passing the checkpoints,” he said.

Apparently aware of officers’ suspicions, the suspect, who was carrying the drug wrapped in five plastic bags hidden in a rice cooker, tried to escape but officers managed to stop him.

The suspect, who works as a textile trader in India, said he was asked by a man identified as SS to carry the drugs to Jakarta.

The suspect said that he would be paid 5000 rupee (around Rp 1 million or US$108) if he could deliver the drugs to someone in Pasar Baru, in Central Jakarta.

Separately, Gatot Sugeng Wibowo, head of prosecutions at the customs and excise office, said this was the second drug smuggling case involving Indian nationals that officers had foiled this year.

“We believe that the suspect is part of an international drug syndicate hailing from India,” he said, adding that late last month officers had arrested two Indian nationals identified as MBN and NK at the airport also for smuggling ketamine.

Ketamine is an anesthetic used for animals and humans, but its psychedelic side effects make it a popular recreational drug.   

Although in several countries, including Singapore, Hong Kong, India and Canada, ketamine is a class 1 narcotic, it is not classified as a narcotic in Indonesia.

However, smuggling the drug carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of Rp 1 billion.