T

he North Sumatra Police have claimed that Medan has become an alluring destination for drug trafficking rings from overseas given the huge number of users, including officials and legislators.

North Sumatra Police narcotics director Sr. Comr. Andjar Dewanto said the number of drug users in Medan and several other areas in the province had risen noticeably of late.

He said drug users in the province came from almost all walks of life, including officials and councillors, which subsequently lures out-of-town drug traffickers.

“Medan is home to a huge number of drug users, We arrested a number of drug-using legislators not long ago,” Andjar told The Jakarta Post at the North Sumatra Police headquarters in Medan on Friday, after revealing a haul of 100 grams of methamphetamine that a Malaysian national had attempted to smuggle into Medan.

Customs and police officers arrested Mohd. Airul Shah bin Othman, 32, upon arrival at Polonia International Airport on May 31.

He was caught with the methamphetamine in his stomach, placed there by inserting it via his anus after wrapping it in plastic and a condom.

The smuggling attempt was uncovered after officers took the suspect to Elisabeth Hospital for an X-ray, which showed the contraband in his stomach.

Andjar said it was the second instance in which a Malaysian citizen had attempted to smuggle methamphetamine into Medan by inserting it in the stomach through the anus. According to him, the method was often used by drug traffickers from Malaysia.

“In the past five months, we have caught two Malaysians and 10 Indonesians attempting to smuggle drugs into Medan, many of them using the same method,” Andjar said, adding that most of the drug traffickers from Indonesia hailed from Aceh.

When asked where the traffickers obtained the drugs, Andjar said that some originated from Iran, China and Malaysia.

Andjar added that the type of drugs smuggled from Malaysia into Medan was generally methamphetamine. Attempts to smuggle in drugs are also made through Tanjung Balai Port.

Airul has confessed that he had already smuggled drugs in from Malaysia three times through Polonia Airport. He said the first he smuggled in 20 grams of methamphetamine, then 30 grams and later 100 grams. Each time, he carried it through customs in his stomach.

Separately, the North Sumatra Police Narcotics Directorate announced that they had arrested Labuhan Batu legislator Hidayat Hasibuan from the Hanura faction when he was allegedly taking drugs with a friend at the Labuhan Batu regency administration mess on Jl. HM Joni in Medan on May 17. Hidayat initially resisted arrest.

Police confiscated various evidence from the suspect, including 0.35 grams of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, including a lighter, box cutter and candles.

The suspect is currently being held at the North Sumatra Police headquarters.