T

he Jakarta Police have seized illegal drugs worth Rp 12 billion (US$1.03 million) and arrested 16 suspected members of an international syndicate, including five foreigners, for allegedly producing and distributing them. The police are still hunting three other suspects who remain at large.

Jakarta Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Sudjarno said on Monday that at the time of the arrests, the police confiscated 2,008 methamphetamine pills, 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine powder, 1.1 kg of crystal methamphetamine, locally known as shabu-shabu, and four passports in several raids during November.

'The drugs include two varieties new to Indonesia ' methamphetamine pills commonly known as yaba in Thailand and Myanmar, and red shabu-shabu,' he told the press.

He said the arrests and the seizure of the drugs had potentially saved the lives of around 70,000 drug users.

The arrested suspects included four Malaysians identified only by their initials as VCKW, LYH, MKC and XY, and one Chinese national, SGF. The other 11 were Indonesians, Sudjarno said.

He said the police were still hunting a Chinese citizen, identified as Bos Laupan who allegedly lives in Guang Zhou, China, in collaboration with Interpol, and two Malaysian citizens, identified as ACIU and ANKI, in cooperation with Malaysian police.

Besides the arrested suspects and those at large, the distribution of the drugs also involved an inmate at Cipinang Penitentiary in East Jakarta, identified as BR, who received the drugs from Bos Laupan, he said.

Based on their investigation, the police had discovered that the suspects delivered ready-to-use drug powder on sea routes via Malaysia. 'They used routes where no there were no sea patrols,' Sudjarno said.

'They molded the powder into pills at an apartment in Sunter, North Jakarta, and another on Jl. Hayam Wuruk, West Jakarta,' he said, adding that the drugs were distributed to nightclubs and karaoke joints across in Jakarta.

According to Sudjarno, the suspects would be charged under Article 112 of the 2009 Narcotics Law for drug possession; Article 114 for selling, buying or accepting drugs and facilitating drug transactions, and Article 132 for drug criminality. If found guilty, they face a minimum sentence of five years' imprisonment with a fine of up to Rp 10 billion all the way up to a maximum sentence of death.

'They should be punished severely so that they do not re-offend,' he said. 'We ask mass media outlets to criticize us if they only receive light punishments.'

Sudjarno explained that the 16 arrests followed a two-month investigation after their narcotics division received a tip-off via an SMS to the police's special number, 1717.

Jakarta Police narcotics division chief Sr. Comr. Nugroho Aji Wijayanto said that on Nov. 1, the police arrested one of the 11 Indonesian suspects, HD, and seized from him 708 methamphetamine pills, 3.5 kg of methamphetamine powder and a pill-making machine at an apartment in Sunter, North Jakarta.

The investigation into HD led the police to six other suspects ' FT, TT, ACH, LB, RN, JW ' on Nov. 5 on Jl. Hayam Wuruk and in Slipi in West Jakarta, and Kemayoran, Central Jakarta. During their arrests, the police seized 1,000 methamphetamine pills and 1 ounce of shabu-shabu.

The suspects admitted that they had received the drugs from BR, who was jailed at the Cipinang Penitentiary. BR then revealed the involvement of Bos Laupan, who supplied the drugs from China.

The police arrested the four Malaysian suspects on Nov. 9 in two apartments: one in Ancol, North Jakarta, and the other on Jl. Hayam Wuruk, West Jakarta. Police seized 60 grams of shabu-shabu and 100 ecstasy pills.

The police arrested the Chinese suspect and four Indonesians and confiscated 1 kg of shabu-shabu, 1,400 ecstasy pills, 1 kg of methamphetamine powder, 300 methamphetamine pills and one pill-making machine. (nai)