We have identified the suspected drug lord based on the confession of five arrested drug dealersBanjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The Banjarmasin city police has planned to issue an Interpol red notice through Indonesia's National Police headquarters to help hunt down and arrest a member of a Singapore-Malaysia drug syndicate.
"We have identified the suspected drug lord based on the confession of five arrested drug dealers," Banjarmasin Police Chief Senior Commissioner Sabana A. Martosumito noted in a statement that ANTARA quoted here, Thursday.
According to the five suspects recently arrested in Banjarbaru and Banjarmasin City along with some eight kg of crystal methamphetamine, the drug lord and owner of the seized drug packages are identified as Mr. M.
Due to the fact that Mr. M lives abroad, the Banjarmasin city police has planned to issue an Interpol red notice through the National Police headquarters to help hunt down and arrest the suspect, he remarked.
The five suspected drug dealers that the Banjarmasin police officers arrested during two drug raid operations were identified as MR, SN, ML, IM, and MN, he added.
MR was arrested along with eight bags of crystal meth weighing 2,394.57 grams on April 7, 2022 while SN, ML, and IM were apprehended along with 80 packs of crystal meth weighing 1,989.06 grams on April 23, 2022.
On the same day, the local police officers also apprehended MN while attempting to sell 10 packs of crystal meth weighing 3,763.1 grams, he noted.
The success of the Banjarmasin city police's anti-drug squad's personnel in foiling the suspects' drug trafficking operations had saved 122,268 Indonesians from getting dragged into drug addiction and crime.
"A gram of crystal meth can be consumed by 15 people," he remarked, adding that the street prices for some eight kg of crystal meth were expected to reach more than Rp11 billion.
The recent arrests of five suspected drug dealers in Banjarbaru and Banjarmasin City demonstrated that drug offenders had no consideration for the holy month of Ramadan, he stated.
Indonesia remains under grave threat from drug dealers, as several individuals from its working-age population have become trapped in a vicious cycle of drug abuse.
According to a report by the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) report, at least 50 Indonesians die of drug use daily in the country. However, this statistic has failed to deter drug use in the country.
The users of crystal methamphetamine, narcotics, marijuana, and other types of addictive drugs come from different communities and socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
In February 2021, for instance, West Java Police's Internal Affairs Division (Propam) arrested 12 police officers for allegedly consuming narcotics.
Indonesia is perceived by both domestic and transnational drug dealers as a potential market due to its vast population and millions of drug users. The value of drug trade in the country is estimated to have reached nearly Rp66 trillion.
In response to the smuggling of illicit drugs by drug kingpins over the past few decades, the Indonesian government has continued to apply harsh punitive action against them.
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Translator: Firman, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Sri Haryati
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