The targeted piers and covert routes under stringent surveillance are located in several sub-districts, East Aceh Police Chief Adjunct Sen. Coms. Eko Widiantoro stated.
The sub-districts are Madat, Simpang Ulim, Julok, Nurussalam Darul Aman, Idi Rayeuk, Peudawa, Alue Bu, Peureulak, and Kuala Parek, Widiantoro noted here on Monday.
"I have ordered my men to intensify their sea patrols during the day and night," he remarked, adding that police officers are working with local army personnel and residents in this war on drugs.
Apart from halting drug smuggling operations, strict surveillance at the targeted coastal areas is also aimed at preventing the inflow of illegal immigrants and goods.
Widiantoro spoke of having made an appeal to local fishermen to assist police officers by providing tip-offs if they found suspected boats or vessels.
"Trans-national drug rings have frequently attempted to smuggle drug packages into East Aceh District by sea," he stated.
On April 17, 2021, a joint team from the Customs and Excise Office and the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) caught four persons smuggling 80 kilograms of drugs, brought in from Thailand, into East Aceh District, Aceh Province.
The coordinated drug raid resulted in the arrest of four suspects, identified by their initials as A, K, P, and M, according to Head of the Customs and Excise Directorate General-Aceh Office, Safuadi.
The suspects were apprehended while attempting to smuggle crystal methamphetamine obtained from Thailand aboard a boat, Safuadi noted in a recent press statement.
The raid, which involved the customs and excise authorities of the provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra, and Riau Islands, was conducted after the BNN received a tip-off on drug traffickers planning to smuggle a crystal meth package into the country from Thailand.
Acting on the tip-off, the BNN and Customs and Excise Directorate formed a land-based and sea-based team. A Customs and Excise patrol ship, BC30001, was deployed by the sea-based team to keep a close eye on the smugglers, according to Safuadi.
At 5:30 a.m. local time on April 17, 2021, the patrol vessel’s radar spotted a boat headed towards the coast of Idi Rayeuk Town in East Aceh District, he stated.
The Customs and Excise patrol ship chased and intercepted the boat and ultimately managed to retrieve two rice sacks containing crystal meth and mobile phones that the smugglers tossed into the sea, he revealed.
"The BNN has transported all suspects along with the evidence of their drug crime. This drug raid operation has proven the government's seriousness in protecting its citizens from getting trapped into a vicious cycle of drug addiction," Safuadi noted. Related news: 80kg of drugs smuggled from Thailand seized in Aceh
Related news: Aceh police seize 50 kg drugs, arrest four
EDITED BY INE
Translator: M.Haris SA, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
