The crystal meth (sabu-sabu), well packed in four snack packages, was meant to be transported to East Java Province, Head of the Riau National Narcotics Agency's law enforcement unit Adjunct Senior Commissioner Haldun told ANTARA here on Friday.
"But we are yet to know where these sabu-sabu packages would be sent after arriving in East Java," he said, adding that his men coordinated with their colleagues in the East Java National Narcotics Agency shortly after the discovery of the drugs.
The Syarif Kasim II International Airport's aviation security personnel found the sabu-sabu packages on April 24, following which they coordinated with local BNN officers for an investigation.
Referring to the address of the recipients of the packages, the BNN investigators in Pekanbaru, Riau Province, contacted their colleagues in East Java.
As a result, three suspects were arrested. Two of them were prisoners of Madiun Penitentiary and the other one was a local resident who might be the recipient of the packages. They would be sent to Pekanbaru for a further investigation, he said.
The suspects might belong to an inter-province drug ring. Over the past few months, Riau Province has become a favorite gate for drug trafficking operations.
Since early this year, the BNN office in Riau Province has confiscated more than 100 kg of sabu-sabu. The last raid conducted in the Indragiri Hilir District area thwarted an attempt to smuggle 50 kg of crystal meth.
The drugs smuggled into Riau Province are transported to Jakarta and several other cities in Java Island, he added.
Indonesia is indeed perceived by both local and transnational drug dealers as a potential market due to its huge population and millions of drug users.
The BNN noted that some 50 Indonesians die as a result of using drugs every day, while the total number of drug users in the country has reached seven million. The value of the drug trade in the country is estimated to have reached at least Rp66 trillion.
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Anggi R, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
