We continue to strengthen our early detection capability to crack down on drug traffickers using Jambi as their transit point or targeted marketJambi (ANTARA) - The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) destroyed 1,001 ecstasy pills, 99.11 grams of crystal meth, and 42.992 grams of marijuana that the agency's officers in Jambi Province seized during their June-August operations.
"We continue to strengthen our early detection capability to crack down on drug traffickers using Jambi as their transit point or targeted market," Head of the BNN-Jambi Office Wisnu Handoko stated here on Friday.
The drug packages that BNN officers confiscated from six arrested suspects were destroyed by using a blender, he remarked, adding that one of the suspects is a woman.
The suspects are identified as Mugianto, Muhammad Amin, Catur Kurniawan, Ronal Rigen, Edy Hariyanto, and Fadila Gestina. They belong to an inter-provincial drug syndicate, he added.
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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), 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 April this year, a joint team of police and customs and excise personnel thwarted an international drug ring's attempt to smuggle 169 kg of crystal meth into Aceh Besar District, Aceh Province.
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According to Director of the Aceh Police Criminal Investigation Directorate Senior Commissioner Ruddi Setiawan, the suspects belong to a Middle Eastern-Aceh drug syndicate.
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: Nanang M, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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