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Drug cases rise by 14%, confiscated meth 358%
The capital has seen a surge of more than 300 percent in the amount of crystal methamphetamine seized this year compared to last year, while the number of drug cases has risen by 14 percent within the same period, according to data from the city police
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he capital has seen a surge of more than 300 percent in the amount of crystal methamphetamine seized this year compared to last year, while the number of drug cases has risen by 14 percent within the same period, according to data from the city police.
The Jakarta Police's narcotics directorate head Sr. Comr. Eko Daniyanto said that from January to September, his institution had confiscated 803.6 kilograms of shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine), a 358 percent increase from the same period of last year.
'The confiscation was carried out following the disclosure of 3,618 drug cases this year, a 14 percent increase compared to last year's period, where the figure stood at 3,111,' he said on Wednesday at the Jakarta Police headquarters.
The cases, Eko added, implicated international drug syndicates, with the city police having apprehended a total of 4,588 drug suspects, including 14 Nigerians and seven Chinese nationals from January to September.
Meanwhile, during its recent 20-day operation, the Jakarta Police foiled an attempt by an international drug ring to circulate hundreds of kilograms of shabu-shabu and thousands of ecstasy pills worth hundreds of billions of rupiah across the capital.
'There were 115 kilograms of shabu-shabu and 5,450 pills of ecstasy seized,' Eko said, adding that the drugs were confiscated from 13 crime scenes throughout the capital. 'They were mainly from areas in North and West Jakarta,' he said.
In the drug operation, called Nila Jaya 2015 and conducted by the city police's narcotics directorate from Aug. 2 to Sept. 5, Eko said that the Jakarta Police arrested 23 people who were then named suspects in the drug cases.
'The suspects comprise 17 Indonesians, three Chinese nationals and three Nigerians,' he said. In their drug smuggling attempt, Eko went on, the Chinese and Nigerian nationals acted as international couriers tasked with supervising the Indonesians, who acted as lower-rung couriers.
The suspects, he said, smuggled the drugs into Indonesia mainly via Dumai, Riau, and Medan, North Sumatra.
'They smuggled the narcotics by keeping them in women's bags, women's shoe heels, engine pistons, storage batteries, plastic pipes, subwoofers and teapots,' Eko said.
The 23 suspects have been charged under Article 114, paragraph 2 in conjunction with Article 132, paragraph 1 of Law No. 35/2009 on the possession and distribution of narcotics, and could face a maximum penalty of death or a fine of Rp 10 billion.
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian said that the value of the seized evidence was equal to around Rp 174.5 billion.
'The confiscation of drugs worth that amount of money could save the lives of around 574,000 young Indonesians,' he said on Wednesday at his office in Central Jakarta.
Newly installed National Narcotics Agency (BNN) chief Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso said that the recent drug operation demonstrated the police's commitment to eradicating rampant drug-related crimes in the country.
'This huge drug haul is proof of our commitment to the government, which has declared an emergency situation related to drugs,' the former National Police detective division chief said, adding that the BNN would step up cooperation with the Jakarta Police and National Police to address the matter.
The current number of drug users across the country has reached four million, or 2.18 percent of the country's total population, according to data from the BNN. (alm)
