Makassar (ANTARA News) - Police Resort of the Big City (Polrestabes) of Makassar in South Sulawesi succeeded in arresting 429 suspected drug users and dealers throughout January-October 2018.

"The perpetrators included 52 people in the city, 147 couriers or introductors and 230 dealers. On average, mostly the drugs confiscated by the police are methamphetamine," said the Narcotics Criminal Investigation Unit of Makassar, Police Commissioner Diari Estetika in Makassar, Friday.

Diari stated that the number of suspects revealed 298 cases of drug users, and drug dealers. They are secured and processed by law and some have been sentenced to prison.

According to him, these suspects have become targets of police operations. The majority of perpetrators are dominated by young people until students become both couriers and users.

Seeing the high disclosure of this case, it still continues to develop and pursue drug lords who continue to supply illicit goods to the public.

"We continue to develop, including tightening the route of entry of these goods to Makassar and the surrounding areas, given the drug distribution route through ports that are less tightly guarded," he explained.

This drug trafficking, Diari further said, is considered very dangerous especially for young people as a promising market for drug kingpin to find big profits despite poisoning our young generation.

Based on 2017 data, Makassar Polrestabes managed to uncover cases of drug trafficking in Makassar City with 416 cases along with 597 suspects.

Cases of arrest from the Port lane in Pare-pare City, the local police managed to arrest two suspects, each with the initials EN (31) and SMD (36) with a total of seven kilograms of evidence on Wednesday (24/10).

Both of them were couriers who came from outside the province of South Sulawesi like EN from Lahabaru District, Watunoho District, North Kolaka Regency, Southeast Sulawesi Province and SMD residents from Jongkang Sub-District, Laukolo Tenggarong District, East Kalimantan Provision.

Previously, the District Police of Sidrap District also arrested AMR suspects (36) who were known to be residents of Talumae Village, Wattang Sub-district, having one kilogram of Sabu-type drugs.

He himself when carrying the item escaped when he got off the ship in Pelabuhan Nusantara, Parepare City from the destination of Nunukan, East Kalimantan Province.

Even though, he managed to escape at the local port, the movement was taken away by the authorities, thanks to the hard work of members conducting a search of the circulation of suspect drugs obtained from Roy, a newly recognized Malaysian citizen when in Tawau Malaysia after his family`s wedding party. The down payment was given in the amount of IDR 45 million from the price of the goods of IDR 450 million.

Reporting by M. Darwin Fatir
Editing by Eliswan

Reporter: Antara
Editor: Eliswan Azly
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