I also went to Argentina and signed a letter of intent to prepare the cooperation MoU.Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian National Narcotics Agency (BNN) collaborates with several South American countries to prevent the smuggling of cocaine and other narcotics from the countries to Indonesia.
While delivering his remarks at the BNN Office in North Jakarta on Thursday, Head of BNN Petrus Reinhard Golose stated that the cooperation targets the areas around the Golden Peacock region along the Andes Mountains.
According to BNN’s document titled "The Mid-Term Review ASEAN Work Plan on Securing Communities Against Illicit Drugs 2016-2025," the region is a trafficking area of cocaine that is sent from Colombia to Mexico and Central America by sea.
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Furthermore, the trade is continued to the United States and Canada by land.
The BNN head noted that although the circulation of narcotics took place in the American countries, it is possible that Indonesia can become one of the destination countries for trafficking.
Moreover, an increase by 0.15 percent in the number of narcotics users in Indonesia was recorded since the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
Hence, the BNN cooperates with Panama since the country shares a border with Colombia. In addition, the Panama Canal serves as an international trade route.
"I also went to Argentina and signed a letter of intent to prepare the cooperation MoU," Golose noted.
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He stated that illegal drugs were smuggled into Argentina through Uruguay to be sold to Europe.
In addition, the BNN collaborates with Ecuador as one of the countries that also shares the border with Colombia.
The cooperation attempts demonstrate BNN's seriousness in tackling the problem of drug trafficking in Indonesia.
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The BNN head emphasized that drug trafficking can be characterized as transnational organized crime, thereby necessitating precautionary measures to be taken to protect Indonesian people from the dire impacts of drugs.
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As quoted from BNN’s document, in addition to the Golden Peacock region, the agency has also been focusing on several other drug trafficking areas, including the Golden Triangle area and the Golden Crescent area.
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The Golden Triangle area is a border area of Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand, while the Golden Crescent area is located at the crossroads of Central, South, and Western Asia that include Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan.
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Translator: Putu Savitri, Uyu Liman
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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