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ollowing the ramping up of the country’s war on drugs, with a significant increase in the killings of drug suspects, smugglers have become more creative in devising methods to distribute the drugs.

Police found on Sept. 25 packages containing 252 kilograms of marijuana hidden under stacks of oranges in a pickup truck passing along Jl. Gatot Subroto, South Jakarta.

The attempt was foiled by traffic police, who had stopped the pickup truck for violating the odd-even traffic policy.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said on Sunday that as police were about to issue a ticket to Agus Suwardi, the driver of the pickup, they became suspicious of a smell coming from the back of the track.

While searching the truck, the police found 20 baskets of rotten oranges concealing 125 packages of marijuana.

Three suspected drug distributors inside a separate vehicle escorting the truck fled from the scene, while the search was being conducted.

Unable to chase the men, police secured both vehicles and questioned Agus.

One of the men, identified as AEL, was arrested on Sept. 28 in Karawang, West Java, while the other two suspected distributors were still being hunted down, Argo said.

“From ongoing questioning, we found the marijuana came from a prison in West Java. The distribution was managed from inside the prison,” Argo said.

The police have yet to reveal the name of the prison or the alleged masterminds behind the distribution of drugs to Karawang.

Police said on Sunday that Agus was innocent and cooperative amid the investigation.

Agus told the police a man, who has not been identified, approached him at Pasar Induk, Tanah Tinggi, Tangerang, and asked him to deliver oranges to Karawang.

The man paid him Rp 700,000, (US$52) meanwhile Agus who did not check the content of the packages.

Jakarta Police narcotics subdirectorate head Adj. Sr. Comr. Jean Calvin said the police were also looking for the unknown man. “We urge all perpetrators to surrender. We will look for them and arrest them,” he said.

Jakarta Police foiled an attempt to distribute 225-kg of marijuana from Aceh to Jakarta on Aug. 30.

The packages had been placed inside six sacks, hidden under a pile of flip-flops.

Two suspects, SM and HSB, were arrested for allegedly attempting to distribute the drugs from Aceh to the capital via the Merak-Jakarta toll road, Tangerang.

HSB was shot dead while resisting arrest, the police said.

Amid the country’s war on drugs. Amnesty International Indonesia saID there has been an increase in cases of alleged drug dealers being shot dead by law enforcement personnel.

Amnesty International data said 80 people died between January and Sept. 19, a fourfold increase from the same period last year.