Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian National Narcotics Agency (BNN) successfully aborted an attempt to smuggle some 450 kilograms of marijuana into the Parung area, Bogor, West Java, on Tuesday.

"The BNN arrested two people and confiscated marijuana on the Raya Parung Street," BNN's Deputy for Eradication Inspector General Arman Depari noted in a statement.

The agency's team detained two people and secured six drums of marijuana concealed inside dozens of PVC pipes.

On the basis of investigation results, the marijuana was brought from Aceh by road using cargo destined for South Sentul.

"The illicit drugs were planned to be stored in a warehouse in the Parung area, Bogor. It is suspected that the owner (of the marijuana) is PK, a prisoner in a penitentiary in West Java," he stated.

The two people were arrested, and the pieces of evidence obtained from them were taken to the BNN Headquarters in Cawang, East Jakarta, for further investigation.

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In the meantime, in late January, 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 on January 30, 2021.

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 revealed.

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

The investigators later arrested a fifth suspect, RFH alias Rizky, while RFH was about to collect a 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 individual, who is still at large.

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Translator: Fardah Assegaf
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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