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High hopes pinned on newly appointed narcotics agency chief
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Illegal substance: Personnel of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), the Customs and Excise Office and the Indonesian Navy display crystal methamphetamine confiscated during a raid in Batam waters in a press conference in Jakarta on Feb. 20. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
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rights group has praised the appointment of Insp. Gen. Heru Winarko as the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) head, saying that the appointment could accelerate the country's efforts to combat drug trafficking and drug abuse.
Narcotics policy analyst Yohan Misero from the Public Legal Aid Foundation said that given Heru's background, he was the right man for the job because of the money laundering and corruption taking place in drug networks.
Heru, who was inaugurated on Thursday morning by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, is a former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chairman for law enforcement.
“It seems that this duty will pose a new challenge for him because his professional background does not necessarily include narcotics-related issues, such as cross-border trafficking and the rehabilitation of drug users,” Yohan told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
(Read also: Jokowi wants new anti-drug commander to implement KPK integrity standards)
He further said he hoped Heru could help authorities investigate international drug networks. In a recent case, tons of crystal methamphetamine were allegedly trafficked by foreign-flagged vessels in Indonesian waters.
“[I] can’t wait to also hear his point of view about drug abuse cases, as progress declined under the leadership of [his predecessor] Budi Waseso,” Yohan said.
In over two years of leadership under Budi, there were more than 46,000 cases involving 72 drug networks. Heru said he promised to implement new standards to revamp the agency’s performance.
Jokowi said he expected a greater effort from the BNN in preventing drug smuggling, reducing the number of drug abusers and implementing better rehabilitation standards. (sha/ebf)
