The suspects, identified as Sukirman (28), Eko Riyanto (39), and Suyoko (40), are all residents of Lampung, the agency's head, Brig. Gen. I Wayan Sukawinaya, stated in Bandarlampung, the capital of Lampung Province, on Monday.
The local BNN officers launched a 14-day investigation to ascertain the accuracy of a tip-off received from a community member that several packages of illicit drugs were kept in the Jatiharjo Hamlet of Tegineneng Sub-district, Pesawaran District, he remarked.
Confirming the authenticity of the tip-off, the agency's personnel then launched a simultaneous drug raid operation on July 21, 2020, by deploying four teams to arrest the suspects at their respective houses.
The drug raid operation led to 16 huge packs of crystal meth weighing over 16 kilograms and three packs of 8,996 ecstasy pills being seized. The suspects concealed the drug packages under bunches of wood and a grave in proximity to a house.
Eko Riyanto, one of the three arrested suspects, confessed to police investigators that the drug packages belonged to Dodo, another suspect, who is still a fugitive, Sukawinaya remarked.
Domestic and transnational drug dealers perceive Indonesia as a potential market based on its vast population and millions of drug users. Drug trade in the country is valued at almost Rp66 trillion.
People from all strata of society, regardless of socio-economic and professional backgrounds, are falling prey to drugs.
Among drug users are those from the country's entertainment industry, as is evident from the arrests of several entertainers over consumption and also trade of illicit drugs.
In the face of the grave threat posed by drug lords, National Narcotics Agency (BNN) Chief Commissioner General Heru Winarko has called for awarding capital punishment to those involved in drug trade in the country.
National Police Chief General Idham Azis recently revealed that district courts across Indonesia had awarded capital punishment to at least 100 drug offenders in the initial half of 2020.
"May they soon be executed by firing squads to deter others," he emphasized while bearing witness to the National Police special task force’s move to destroy 1.2 tons of crystal methamphetamine, 35 thousand ecstasy pills, and 410 kilograms of marijuana in Jakarta on July 2, 2020.
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Translator: Damiri, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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