The suspect, identified by his initials as NK, had concealed the drugs inside three tubes, Malang City Police chief, Sen.Coms. Leonardus Simarmata, told local journalists here on Tuesday.
Each tube contained a thousand ‘Double L’ pills, he added.
After receiving a tip, police conducted a raid and arrested NK with one of the tubes, he said. They recovered two more tubes from NK’s home in the Kedungkandang neighborhood area of Malang city, East Java, he added.
NK was allegedly acting as a courier and had obtained the drug package from another man, identified as Kevin. Police have launched a hunt for Kevin and placed NK in custody, Simarmata said.
Police have charged NK under Articles 196 and 197 of the Indonesian Health Law No. 36 of 2008. If found guilty, he faces a jail term of 10 years or more.
Indonesia remains under grave threat from drug dealers, who consider the country a potential market. The value of drug trade in Indonesia is estimated to be 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 taken harsh punitive action against drug kingpins found 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 have awarded capital punishment to at least 100 drug offenders in the first half of this year.
“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 has 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 their fight against them. (INE)
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EDITED BY INE
Translator: Vicki F, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
