The suspected dealer has been identified as Masiwan alias Iwan. Another suspected dealer, identified as Aswan alias Aseng, was arrested in the raid conducted by the anti-drug squad.
Police confiscated 8.3 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine from the two suspects, who are believed to belong to a Medan-Tanjung Balai drug ring, North Sumatra Police Chief, Inspector General Martuani Sormin, told ANTARA here on Tuesday.
Iwan, who tried to escape on his motorcycle and ignored a warning shot fired by police, was gunned down after he reached for a Russian-made gun, purportedly to fire at the cops, Sormin informed.
“The suspect ignored the warning shot. Instead, he took a gun,” he said, adding that police officers seized 7 kg of crystal meth from him.
The raid was conducted after local police received a tip on October 8, 2020 that a suspected drug dealer, Aswan alias Aseng, from Tanjung Balai city, located about 182 km from Medan, was planning to distribute drugs in the North Sumatran capital.
Aseng, a resident of Pahang village, Datuk Bandar subdistrict, Tanjung Balai city, drove to Medan in a sedan (bearing the license plate number BK 1103 QJ). Police managed to stop his car on Sisingamangaraja Road.
During interrogation, Aseng told investigators that he had handed over the drug package to Masiwan alias Iwan.
Based on his confession, police officials went to arrest Iwan, who managed to escape on his motorcycle, but the police managed to intercept him on AH Nasution Street.
Police ordered him to surrender, but Iwan ignored them, and instead, reached for his gun, and was shot down. Iwan died on the way to the hospital. Police officials found 7 kg of crystal meth from him.
Another 1.3 kg of crystal meth, locally known as sabu-sabu, was seized from Aswan alias Aseng, Sormin added.
Indonesia remains under grave threat from drug dealers, who see the country as a potential market. The value of drug trade in Indonesia is estimated to be nearly 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.
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.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo had also issued shoot-at-sight orders against drug kingpins.
However, this has failed to deter drug traffickers, who continue to treat Indonesia as one of their main markets, prompting Indonesian law enforcers to continue their fight against them. (INE)
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EDITED BY INE
Translator: Nur ABS, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
