Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang, Banten | Jakarta | Tue, May 08 2012, 6:49 PM
Pay the piper: Customs office chief Oza Olivia holds the result of an x-ray test showing unidentifiable objects inside the suspect’s stomach, which lead officers to force the suspect to expel the objects through defecation. (JP/Multa Fidrus)
Customs and Excise officers have foiled a Dutch citizen’s plan to allegedly smuggle 205 grams of cocaine, worth Rp 1 billion (US$108,254), arresting the suspect at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
Oza Olivia, customs office chief at the airport, identified the suspect as Rendert Leopold, 41, a Dutch citizen working as a garment designer in Kuta, Bali, for ten years.
She said that customs Tactical Unit (CTU) team members at terminal IID became suspicious when seeing the behavior of Rendert, after arriving from Bangkok with Thai Airways (TG-433) on April 4.
“Officers searched his body. Since nothing suspicious was found, officers conducted an x-ray test and found strange objects inside his stomach,” she said.
Officers told the suspect to expel the objects through defecation.
“It took ten hours to get four capsules, each containing 50 grams of brown powder, out of the suspect’s stomach,” Oza said.
Gatot Sugeng Wibowo, head of the intelligence section at the customs office, said that officers tried to help the suspect force the capsules from his stomach by consuming a laxative, but the suspect refused.
“He refused because he was scared the capsules would break inside his body and kill him. Laboratory tests confirmed that the brown powder was cocaine,” Gatot said, adding that the suspect claimed that the cocaine was for his own consumption.
Customs officers and the airport police searched the suspect’s residence and work place in Kuta.
”We met his wife Nyoman Sadiasih, 32, and his five-year-old daughter. After searching the house, no drugs were found,” airport police deputy chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Tantan Sulistyana said.
The suspect and the evidence were handed over to the airport police for further investigation.
Drug smuggling is a violation of the 2009 Law on Narcotics. Violators can face a maximum penalty of death and a Rp 10 billion (US$1.08 million) fine if proven guilty.
”This is the 18th drug smuggling attempt we have managed to foil since January following the arrests of a Malaysian, a Dutch national, a Sierra Leonean, a Chinese and 21 Indonesians,” Gatot said.
Customs have seized more than 6 kilograms of drugs comprising of 3.7 grams crystal methamphetamine, 536 grams Levometorfan, 933.5 grams cocaine, 1 kilogram heroin, 56 grams marijuana and 341 ecstasy pills. (iwa)
