A 34-year-old woman was arrested by security officers of the Batam Free Trade Zone (FTZ) on Saturday for attempting to smuggle 517 grams of crystal methamphetamine through the Batam Center International Seaport in Riau Islands
34-year-old woman was arrested by security officers of the Batam Free Trade Zone (FTZ) on Saturday for attempting to smuggle 517 grams of crystal methamphetamine through the Batam Center International Seaport in Riau Islands.
Officers claim the drugs were found inside her vagina and glued to the insides of her bra and underpants.
Batam FTZ security chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Nasrul Liza said the drugs were detected with an X-ray machine as the woman was entering the seaport.
“We found some drugs in her bra first and then in her underpants. Upon further checking at the nearby hospital, we found some others inside her genitals,” Nasrul told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
The drugs in the vagina were found packaged in plastic capsules. However, Nasrun did not specify the weight of the drugs.
The officers had been suspicious of the way she walked when she got off the Citra Indah 99 ferry from Stulang Laut Seaport in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, at 9:30 a.m.
“The case has been referred to the Riau Islands BNN [National Narcotics Board] office for further investigation,” Nasrun said, adding that his team had coordinated with the seaport’s customs and excise officers after the arrest. Officers identified the person arrested as Helmy Hamdan Kassim.
Separately, water police officer Adj. First Insp. Suheryanto was arrested for his alleged role in the smuggling of 44 kilograms of crystal meth from Malaysia by an international drug syndicate in Serdang Bedagai regency, North Sumatra, on Saturday.
According to North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw, Suheryanto had been involved in helping ease the syndicate’s drug smuggling operation for six months.
“He was [allegedly] the field controller,” Paulus said, adding that his team was still investigating whether other officers were involved.
He said Suheryanto would be dishonorably dismissed if he was proven guilty.
Besides Suheryanto, a total of nine other suspects have been arrested in connection with the case and two were shot dead while trying to retaliate during the raid.
The ambush was set up based on a report from residents suggesting that a drug transaction would take place at Cermin Beach in Serdang Bedagai on Saturday.
The raid was followed by another near the Pasar Bengkel fueling station at about 6:30 a.m.
Three people were arrested during these two raids. Further developments led investigators to arrest seven other suspects, including Suheryanto, at a traditional coffee shop on Jl. Lintas Sumatra.
As a result of the arrests, the police confiscated a total of 44 kg of crystal meth, a gun, a box of ammunition, three cars and four motorcycles.
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