Heru said he would continue the fight against drugs and would mount the hunt for the drug kingpins, who are behind the rampant illicit trade in the country.
"I will certainly continue the war to eradicate drug traffics in the country," he said after he was officially installed chief of BNN here on Thursday.
President Joko Widodo installed Heru Winarko as new BNN chief replacing police Com. Gen.Budi Waseso, who is entering the retirement age.
Heru, a former deputy at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), said BNN would be more watchful over activities at ports especially small harbors, believed to have been often used to smuggle drugs into the country.
"BNN, however, could not work alone. BNN has to cooperate with the navy, the air force, the army and other agencies including KPK," he said.
Meanwhile Budi Waseso said he had given a number of drug eradication programs to his successor, Heru Winarko.
"There are a lot of things I have to hand over to my replacement as it has to be carried out and intensified," Budi said.
He said BNN will also improve its facilities and infrastructure such as buildings.
"Yesterday we succeeded in building a national drug laboratory with international standard," he said.
During his relatively short time of only 2.5 years as BNN chief Budi has succeeded in uncovering a number of big narcotics cases in the country.
On Wednesday, BNN nabbed three suspects in money laundering involving Rp6.4 trillion allegedly as a result narcotic crimes.
In the first years of the present government it adopted tough policy against drug crime executing more than tens convicts but on growing international condemnation and protest in the country , the government put off execution of more death raw convicts.
(T.SYS/A/H-ASG/A/O001)
Reporter: SYSTEM
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
