Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - Papua police on Wednesday destroyed 5.4 kilograms of marijuana and 279.28 grams of crystal methamphetamine confiscated during recent drug operations.

The cannabis was burned in a drum, while the crystal meth was poured into boiling water. Papua Police's Narcotics Investigation Directorate has apprehended 17 suspects in connection with the seizure of the marijuana and crystal meth packages.

Three of the 17 suspects are Papua New Guinean nationals, said police.

To win the war on drugs in Papua, head of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN)-Papua Office, Robinson Siregar, and deputy director of Papua Police's Narcotics Investigation Directorate, Adjunct Sen.Coms.Supriagung, have pledged to intensify their synergy.

The Papua police and BNN plan to intensify patrols in the Papuan waters with the help of other law enforcement agencies.

Supriagung has urged local residents to participate in the war on drugs by providing information, saying drug addiction is a common enemy.

Drug addiction remains a serious threat for Papuan communities. Early on Wednesday, Papua police arrested a man with 32 packages of drugs in the Abepura neighborhood of Jayapura, the capital of Papua province.

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The suspect, identified as H, admitted he had obtained the packages of crystal methamphetamine, but their total weight is not yet known, Supriagung said.

The value of the drug trade in Indonesia is estimated to have reached at least Rp66 trillion, with drug dealers continuing to treat Indonesia as a potential market.

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 apply harsh punitive action against drug kingpins operating in the country over the past few years.

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.

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Translator: Evarukdijati, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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