The narcotics squad personnel arrested four suspects during their recent raidJakarta (ANTARA) - The South Jakarta Metropolitan Police's anti-drug squad recently thwarted an attempt to transport 374 kilograms of marijuana from Aceh Province to Jakarta by using an expedition truck, a police officer has revealed.
The narcotics squad personnel arrested four suspects during their recent raid, South Jakarta Metropolitan Police Chief Sen. Coms. Bastoni Purnama told journalists here Monday. They discovered that the drug dealers and couriers, allegedly a part of the Aceh drug ring, attempted to camouflage the packs of marijuana in clothes for sale. The drug package was then placed in a big box before being loaded onto a TAM Cargo truck.
"They told the police investigators that the package contained clothes. They also notified this on the package registration document," he said, adding that the package was transported by road from Aceh to Jakarta by hiring an expedition truck.
The route chosen by the drug traffickers was from Aceh to Padang, the capital of West Sumatra Province. From Padang, it was then transported to Bakauheni Ferry Port in Lampung Province. From there, the truck was shipped by a ferry to Merak Port in Banten Province.
From Merak Port, the truck headed to Bambu Apus, before arriving at the TAM Cargo base camp. At this point, the marijuana package was loaded onto another truck which left for Griya Nira at Nimun Raya Street 32 in Tanah Kusir, Kabayoran Lama, South Jakarta.
The police investigators are still probing whether any employees of the expedition truck operator were involved, Purnama said.
As part of precautionary and preventive measures, the expedition truck operator needs to have a credible surveillance method, including an x-ray device that could help the company's workers detect unlawful packages.
Indonesia remains under grave threat from drug dealers, as several individuals from its working-age population have been embroiled in a vicious circle.
According to the National Narcotics Agency's (BNN's) report, some 50 drug use-related deaths occur in a day in Indonesia. However, their deaths have failed to deter other drug users in the country from consuming these banned substances.
Users of crystal methamphetamine, narcotics, marijuana, and other addictive drugs transcend communities and socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.
Hence, Indonesia is perceived by both domestic and transnational drug dealers as a potential market due to its huge population and millions of drug users. The drug trade in the country is estimated to reach nearly Rp66 trillion.
Related news: North Sumatra police destroy crystal meth, ecstasy and marijuana
Related news: West Java's Cianjur police confiscate 1.5kg of marijuana
Related news: Jakarta police unveil drug distribution hidden in toy packages
Translator: Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
