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South Jakarta ‘target market’ for drug dealers: Police
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Personnel of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), the Finance Ministry's Customs and Excise Office and the Indonesian Navy present packages of crystal methamphetamine during a press conference on Feb. 20. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
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ocioeconomic conditions, coupled with residents’ high purchasing power, have made South Jakarta a key market for drug dealers seeking to sell expensive narcotics, according to the South Jakarta Police’s year-end report.
"South Jakarta has become an important location for drug trafficking, because many residents living there have a middle-upper economic background. Some residents of lower economic [standing] that live on the edge of the city have become their target as well,” South Jakarta Police chief Sr.Com. Indra Jafar said in Jakarta on Saturday, Wartakota reported.
“Just like the common proverb, wherever there is sugar, there will be ants. This is why we, especially the South Jakarta Police’s narcotics division, will intensely check any potential drug abuse in the area,” he added.
Meanwhile, Comr. Vivick Tjangkung, who leads the South Jakarta Police’s narcotics unit, said South Jakarta was a strategic waypoint between Jakarta and neighboring cities, including Depok in West Java and South Tangerang and Tangerang city in Banten.
“[Drug] dealers or producers usually come from the borders [of Jakarta], because it is easier to transport drugs from there,” Vivick said.
Official data show that the number of drug-related offenses in South Jakarta reached 571 in 2018, up 3 percent from 554 cases recorded last year. The number of drug suspects arrested in 2018 reached 645, up from 610 people last year.
“The more cases we uncover, the more intense the supervision we will carry out,” Indra said.
During their operations in 2018, the South Jakarta Police confiscated 16,152 grams of marijuana, 2,802 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 4,049 ecstasy pills, 439 pills of category IV drugs and 344 grams of gorilla tobacco. (mai/ebf)
