Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Police's Directorate of Narcotics Crime managed to confiscate 8.2 kilograms (kg) of crystal methamphetamine, 21 thousand ecstasy pills, and 220 happy five pills that were smuggled into Indonesia from Malaysia.

"Investigators also succeeded in arresting five suspects while thwarting the smuggling of the illegal drugs controlled by prisoners," Inspector General Prabowo Argo Yuwono, the police’s spokesman, noted here on Friday.

The drug bust was successful owing to a tip-off received from the public regarding drug trafficking in Batam, Riau Islands Province.

"We then got the targets. We made the arrests on Thursday, January 21, 2021," he stated.

Related news: Kendari's 16 neighborhoods identified as drug abuse red zones: BNN

The investigators arrested two suspects named Sefri Kasarua alias Sefri and Muh. Nofrian Syah alias Nofri in Agas Village, Tanjung Uma, Batam.

The group of investigators found a black bag containing shabu-shabu, ecstasy, and "happy five" pills.

Based on information obtained from Sefri and Nofri, the investigators later arrested two other suspects: Hendra Yacub alias Ferdi and H in the Lubuk Baja area of Batam City.

"Hendra admitted that he had ordered Sefri and Nofri," Director of the National Police's Drug Crime Directorate Brigadier General, Krisno Halomoan Siregar, stated.

The investigators thereafter arrested the fifth suspect, RFH alias Rizky, while RFH was about to collect the crystal methamphetamine package weighing five kilograms.

Rizky confessed that the drugs were intended for distribution in one of the nightlife spots in Batam City.

Siregar affirmed that the drug trafficking was controlled by a prisoner, a Malaysian citizen, serving term at the Barelang Batam prison. The prisoner had obtained the drugs from a Malaysia-based person, who is still at large. Related news: Police seize 570-kg drug consignment headed to Jakarta

Translator: Anita PD, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2021