Many of them join the drug ring. Abusing illicit drugs may potentially trigger other crimesBanda Aceh, Aceh (ANTARA) - Aceh Police Chief Inspector General Wahyu Widada has insisted that all drug dealers apprehended in the province will be charged for violating Indonesia's 2009 Narcotics Law and Countermeasure and Eradication of Money Laundering (TPPU) Law.
Under the TPPU Law, the wealth of the arrested drug lords could be seized to prevent them from conducting their illicit drug businesses, he notified journalists in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh Province, on Tuesday.
Implementation of the TPPU Law in the Aceh police's war on drugs is aimed at breaking the chain of drug trafficking networks, he noted, adding that the drug lords had ruined the lives of Acehnese young people through their unpardonable acts.
"Many of them join the drug ring. Abusing illicit drugs may potentially trigger other crimes," Widada cautioned.
Within a month, Aceh police officers launched two drug raid operations in East Aceh District that resulted in 141 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine being confiscated and 15 suspects being arrested, he stated.
Two other suspected drug dealers were gunned down after they threatened the cops attempting to arrest them, he noted.
Indonesia remains under serious threat from drug dealers, who perceive the country as a potential market. The value of drug trade in Indonesia is estimated to have reached at least Rp66 trillion.
Users of crystal methamphetamine, narcotics, marijuana, and other types of addictive drugs transcend communities and socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.
The Indonesian government has continued to take harsh punitive action against drug kingpins smuggling and trading drugs in the country over the past few decades.
National Police Chief General Idham Azis recently stated that district courts in different parts of Indonesia had 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, even as Indonesian law enforcers continue to wage a fight against them.
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Translator: M.Haris SA, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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