The suspects are subject to death penaltyPalu, C Sulawesi (ANTARA) - Two suspected drug dealers who were apprehended with 25 kilograms of drugs in Central Sulawesi on Sunday (June 28, 2020) could be sentenced to death, Inspector General Syafril Nursal, police chief of the province, said.
"The suspects are subject to death penalty," Nursal told local journalists at a press conference here on Tuesday.
The two suspects have been identified as R alias O, 36, and M, 38. While R is a resident of Palu city, M is from Donggala district, said police.
The two were arrested after police stopped their car at a COVID-19 checkpoint in Palu city on Sunday evening and found 25 packets of crystal methamphetamine, weighing 25 kg, inside the vehicle.
Police believe the drug trafficking operation may be controlled by a Palu resident, identified as S, who is currently residing in Malaysia, said Nursal.
S was sentenced to 16 years in prison in a drug case, but he broke out of the Palu penitentiary after a deadly earthquake struck the city in 2018, he added.
Domestic and transnational drug dealers view Indonesia as a potential market due to its large population and millions of drug users. The drug trade in Indonesia is valued at almost Rp66 trillion.
According to a report from the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), about 50 drug use-related deaths occur daily in Indonesia. However, the fatalities fail to deter people from using drugs.
In the face of the grave threat posed by drug lords, BNN chief commissioner General Heru Winarko has advised capital punishment for those involved in the drug trade in the country.
Both BNN and the police have continued their war against drugs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
On May 19, 2020, under the command of Brig. Gen. Ferdy Sambo and Sen. Coms. Herry Heryawan, the National Police's Red and White Special Task Force seized 821 kg of crystal meth in Serang District, Banten Province.
On June 4, 2020, a drug raid in Banten Province helped uncover another case involving the smuggling of 402.38 kg of crystal methamphetamine from the Middle Eastern region into Indonesia on board a hired fishing boat. (INE)
Related news: Drug trade continues to endanger 24 neighborhoods in Kendari: BNN
Related news: Attempt to smuggle drugs from Malaysia into N Sumatra foiled
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Rangga M, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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