"He paid Rp200,000 for the package that he received from a man that he did not know," Palmerah Police Chief Commissioner Supriyanto quoted the suspect, only identified by his initials RH, as saying on Sunday.
RH was arrested on Wednesday night (Sept 16) after a local community member tipped-off several police patrol officers about a foreigner making a drug deal in the Kota Bambu Selatan neighorhood area, he said.
This 40-year-old Iranian who has been living in Indonesia since 2019 is believed to be an asylum seeker as evidently revealed by an identification card, issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), he said.
The suspect who admitted to be a medical doctor and stayed at the Green Pramuka Apartment in Central Jakarta told the police investigators that he bought the drug for a personal consumption, Supriyanto said.
The police charged him under Articles 112 and 114 of Indonesian Drug Law No.35/2009. If he is found guilty, he is subject to a jail term of 10 years.
Indonesia remains under serious threat from drug dealers who perceive it as a potential market. The value of the drug trade in the country is estimated to have reached nearly least Rp66 trillion.
Users of crystal methamphetamine, narcotics, marijuana, and other types of addictive drugs transcend communities, and socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.
With drug kingpins smuggling and trading drugs in the country over the past few decades, the Indonesian government has continued to apply harsh punitive action against them.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo had even issued shoot-at-sight orders against drug kingpins.
However, this has failed to deter drug traffickers. They continue to treat Indonesia as one of their main markets, even as Indonesian law enforcers keep the fight going against them.
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Translator: Devi NSR, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
