The truck was stopped and searched on Prabu Siliwangi street in Tangerang city, Banten province, on July 28, 2020. During the search, officials found several packages of crystal methamphetamine concealed in sandbags filled with corn seeds inside the truck, BNN Eradication Division, Deputy Inspector General Arman Depari, said in a statement to ANTARA here on Wednesday.
BNN investigators are yet to ascertain the role of each suspect in the drug trafficking case as they are still being questioned, he said adding, the cargo truck originally came from Lampung province.
On the day of the raid, the truck was parked in front of a grocery store on Prabu Siliwangi street, Cibodas subdistrict, Tangerang city, located on the outskirts of Jakarta.
According to head of the Cibodas subdistrict, Mahdiar, the grocery store had previously lain vacant for some time before it was leased to a rice trading business.
The grocery store was being used to store drugs, Mahdiar added. He then lauded the BNN for foiling the drug trafficking operation.
ANTARA has previously reported on Lampung being one of the provinces in Sumatra Island which is vulnerable to drug crimes.
On July 21 this year, raids by the BNN-Lampung Office's resulted in the seizure of 16.53 kilograms (kg) of crystal methamphetamine and 8,996 ecstasy pills, and the arrests of three drug dealers.
The suspected drug dealers, identified as Sukirman (28), Eko Riyanto (39), and Suyoko (40), were residents of Lampung, the agency's head, Brig. Gen. I Wayan Sukawinaya, stated in Bandarlampung, the capital of Lampung province, early this week.
The arrests were made after a 14-day investigation launched by BNN officers after they received a tip from a community member about drug packages being stored in the Jatiharjo hamlet of Tegineneng sub-district, Pesawaran district.
Once the agency confirmed the tip, it launched simultaneous drug raids on July 21, 2020 by deploying four teams to arrest the suspects at their homes.
The drug raid led to the seizure of 16 huge packs of crystal meth, weighing over 16 kilograms, and three packs of 8,996 ecstasy pills being seized. The suspects had concealed the drug packages under bundles of wood and a grave close to a house.
Eko Riyanto, one of the three suspects, told investigators that the drug packages belonged to Dodo, another suspect, who remains a fugitive, Sukawinaya remarked.
Domestic and transnational drug dealers perceive Indonesia as a potential market due to 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.
The drug users include people from the country's entertainment industry, as is evident from the arrests of several entertainers over consumption and even trade of illicit drugs. (INE)
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Translator: Achmad I, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
