JAKARTA: The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) nabbed a Taiwanese national identified as L, 42, on Saturday at the Mediterania apartment block in Gajah Mada, West Jakarta, over the alleged possession of 15 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine.
BNN head Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso claimed the drugs had been shipped from China to Indonesia via Singapore. “The crystal meth was packed into 15 plastic bags and concealed inside luggage. Besides, we seized pieces of evidence to prove the crime, which were a car, eight cell phones, a Taiwanese identity card and US$7,000 in cash,” he said at his office in Cawang, East Jakarta, on Tuesday.
The BNN is still conducting investigations into the case, which Budi said was likely connected to an infamous Chinese drug syndicate. “We are still investigating the mastermind of the crime and the alleged existence of drug warehouses in Indonesia.”
The suspect will be charged with violating Article 114 of the 2009 Narcotics Law, with a maximum sentence of the death penalty. Budi said 15 kg of crystal meth had the potential to harm 75,000 people. Recent drug smuggling cases in the country have indicated a strong flow of narcotics into Indonesia from other countries.
Recently, a joint team from the Finance Ministry’s directorate general of customs and excise and the National Police foiled an attempt by a Nigerian syndicate to transport 62 kg of crystal meth from Cameroon to Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. The team also prevented the attempted smuggling of 10 kg of crystal meth in a backpack shipped from Kuala Selangor Port in Malaysia to Batubara Port in North Sumatra.
From January to June, the directorate general intercepted 609 drug shipments from various countries, totaling 452 kg of various narcotics. A majority of the shipments came from Malaysia. Budi said the authorities needed to be aware of drug smuggling particularly from other Asian countries, as there was growing trend of narcotic deliveries across the continent.
“We will coordinate with authorities in China to identify which syndicate [was involved]. We will also coordinate with related entities from Thailand and Vietnam,” he said.
At the same time, Budi also commented on a statement from Haris Azhar, coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) on the possible involvement of BNN officers in drug smuggling in Indonesia.
Through a broadcast message titled “Cerita Busuk dari Seorang Bandit” (Rotten Story from a Bandit), Haris revealed a statement made to him in 2014 by drug convict Freddy Budiman about the involvement of BNN officers in drug smuggling cases.
“Why did he publicize it after Freddy’s death? The case would be easier to resolve if Freddy was still alive. However, we appreciate Haris’ report,” Budi said, adding that he wanted Haris to work hand-in-hand with the BNN to resolve the issue by providing factual evidence.
