We have found new illicit drugs in the form of candies and liquids in Semarang, Central JavaJakarta (ANTARA) - The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) has advised parents in Central Java province to exercise caution when it comes to consumption of liquids and candies by children, warning they may be laced with illegal drugs.
"We have found new illicit drugs in the form of candies and liquids in Semarang, Central Java," deputy head of BNN's eradication division, Inspector General Arman Depari, said in a statement here on Thursday.
The new drugs being used to lace food and beverages contain THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, and were smuggled from the United States through the postal services, he added.
THC, which is also used for making gorilla tobacco, is a hallucinogen, Depari said, adding that the new illegal drugs were being consumed in Kendal, Tegal, and Semarang.
Depari appealed to parents in Central Java to carefully monitor the food and beverages their children consume everyday.
"We must make sure that the food and drinks our children consume are free from any harmful substance," he said.
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 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.
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 pointed out that district courts in different parts of Indonesia 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 their fight against them. (INE)
Related news: Police thwart attempt to smuggle 81kg of drugs from Malaysia
Related news: Malang resident nabbed with tranquilizers
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Fathur R, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
