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West Kalimantan authorities uncover new drug smuggling technique

Severianus Endi (The Jakarta Post)
Pontianak, West Kalimantan
Wed, March 29, 2017

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West Kalimantan authorities uncover new drug smuggling technique Dangerous substance: Journalists take pictures of crystal methamphetamine the West Kalimantan Police were to destroy on March 29. (JP/Severianus Endi)

P

ersonnel of the West Kalimantan Police and the Customs and Excise Directorate discovered a new technique for smuggling crystal methamphetamine from Malaysia to Pontianak, highlighting it as a province highly prone to smuggling attempts.

In a joint operation, authorities caught two people who drove from Pontianak to Kuching, Malaysia, via the border at Entikong in Sanggau regency, and returned to West Kalimantan’s provincial capital with 4.01 kilograms of crystal meth on March 17. The two suspects claimed they traveled to Kuching to get medical treatment.

West Kalimantan Customs and Excise Office head Saifullah Nasution said smuggling crystal meth from Malaysia after seeking medical treatment in that country was a new method. In previous cases, perpetrators attempted to smuggle crystal meth by hiding it inside the toilets of buses serving cross-border routes, while others hid drugs inside the tires of their vehicles.

Prone to drug smuggling: High ranking West Kalimantan Police officers display packages of crystal methamphetamine in a press conference on March 29. They confiscated the drugs in security operations held in the first three months of 2017. (JP/Severianus Endi)

It was also common to find drug smugglers who put the dangerous substances under belts around their waists. As well, they often hid drugs inside compartments of their vehicles.

“Tackling drug smuggling cannot be conducted individually; it needs to involve other parties. We must anticipate new methods,” Saifullah said on Wednesday. In the event, the police’s personnel also destroyed 17,692 kg of crystal meth they confiscated during previous smuggling attempt cases involving 11 suspects.

West Kalimantan Police chief Insp. Gen. Musyafak said 53 kg of crystal meth had been confiscated during security operations conducted in the first three months of 2017. He suspected the police’s working area had the highest number of drug smuggling cases. “It’s alarming,” he said. (ebf)

 

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