Meanwhile, six other suspects were apprehended in the raid.
During the raid, 17.05 kg of crystal methamphetamine was also seized from the suspects, Surabaya City Police Chief, Sen.Coms. Jhonny Edison Isir, told local journalists here on Thursday evening (September 3, 2020).
The suspects who were shot by the police have been identified by their initials as VV and DP, while the remaining six have been identified by their initials as ZD, NV, RC, BS, MF, and LC.
All are residents of East Java province, and are believed to belong to the same drug ring, he said.
Prior to making the arrests, the Surabaya city police had launched an investigation into their drug syndicate on July 25, 2020, Isir informed.
Besides drugs, police investigators also confiscated six cars, three motorcycles, and an apartment unit that the suspects were allegedly using for supporting their drug smuggling operations, he added.
Police investigators will continue their probe into the drug offence, and will work with colleagues in other cities as the arrested suspects may have networks in other cities, he said.
Domestic and transnational drug dealers see Indonesia as a potential market owing to its vast population and millions of drug users. The drug trade in the nation is valued at nearly Rp66 trillion.
People from all sections of society are falling prey to drugs, regardless of socio-economic and professional backgrounds.
In the face of the grave threat posed by drug lords, National Narcotics Agency (BNN) Chief Commissioner General Heru Winarko has sought capital punishment for those involved in the drug trade in the country.
National Police Chief General Idham Azis recently highlighted that district courts in different parts of Indonesia have awarded capital punishment to at least 100 drug offenders in the first half of 2020.
"May they soon be executed by firing squads to deter others," he stressed while witnessing the National Police special task force destroy 1.2 tons of crystal meth, 35 thousand ecstasy pills, and 410 kg of marijuana in Jakarta on July 2, 2020.
The Indonesian Legal and Human Rights Ministry has also hinted at its support for transferring convicted drug dealers and producers to the maximum-security prison in Cilacap district's Nusakambangan Island since it has an adequate number of vacant prison cells. (INE)
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EDITED BY INE
Translator: Hanif N, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
