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Soekarno-Hatta customs foils crystal meth smuggling attempts
Customs and excise officers at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport have foiled an attempt to smuggle 6
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ustoms and excise officers at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport have foiled an attempt to smuggle 6.154 grams of crystal methamphetamine, worth Rp 8.3 billion, and arrested five suspects: two women, one from Thailand and the other Indonesian, and three Malaysian men in two separate cases.
'Their modus operandi was actually rather predictable. They had hidden the crystal meth in their luggage and underwear,' customs official Okto Irianto said on Wednesday.
He said on Jan. 8, customs officials' suspicions were raised regarding a suitcase belonging to the Thai woman, identified as JS. He added that JS, who was flying to Denpasar, Bali, from China with a stopover in Jakarta, apparently realized that her luggage had been targeted by the authorities.
'She left her luggage at Soekarno-Hatta airport and flew directly to Denpasar after that,' Okto said.
A group of officials then traced the luggage and the destination address. The customs office, in cooperation with the local police, arrested JS and the Indonesian woman, M, after discovering 4.568 g of crystal meth hidden inside 11 pairs of women's shoes in JS' suitcase.
Later on Jan. 22, customs officials zoned in on three travelers, all Malaysian men, identified as CK, ET and BS. The officials confiscated 1,585 g of crystal meth that they had hidden in their underwear.
The suspects and the evidence have been transferred to the airport's police for further investigation.
The Customs and Excise Agency has confiscated a total 13.2 kilograms of crystal meth and arrested eight suspects since the beginning of this year.(dic)
