"As far as I know, they (suspects) were nabbed when buying drugs," Makassar Seaport Police chief, Adjunct Sen.Coms.Yudi Frianto, told journalists here.
The drug case against the two cops, who were stationed at the Makassar Seaport Police Precinct, is being handled by the South Sulawesi police investigators, he informed.
As per local media reports, the two suspects have been identified as SD, a 2nd sub-inspector, and IFF, a chief brigadier.
The suspects were arrested on Veteran Utara street on July 31, 2023, with a sachet containing a narcotic substance that they had allegedly received from a drug dealer on the run.
South Sulawesi Police spokesperson Senior Commissioner Komang Suartana told local journalists that the two cops have been placed under police custody.
If they are found guilty by internal affairs investigators, they will get serious sanctions for breaching the criminal law as well as the code of ethics and conduct, he said.
To avoid serious sanctions, the South Sulawesi police chief has repeatedly warned all cops in the province to not get involved in drug-related offenses, he added.
ANTARA has reported earlier that local and transborder drug traffickers are continuing to pose a grave threat to Indonesia despite the ongoing fierce crackdowns by the National Police and National Narcotics Agency (BNN).
The culprits involved in criminal networks vary in socioeconomic and professional backgrounds, with the results of police and BNN investigations revealing that drug offenders can be from any background.
Indonesia has repeatedly uncovered the involvement of police personnel in drug trafficking activities. In fact, over the past few years, several police officers have been found guilty of trafficking drugs.
In April 2019, for instance, the Mataram District Court in West Nusa Tenggara province sentenced a police officer to 10 years in jail and slapped a fine of Rp1 billion, or another 3 months in jail, after he was found to have participated in a major drug trafficking operation in Mataram city.
The police officer, a chief brigadier, who was identified by his initials as KB, was found guilty of violating Article 111, Paragraph 2 of Narcotics Law No. 35/2009, according to the verdict issued by a panel of judges.
KB's role in the drug case came to light after he was found in possession of 7.7 kilograms of hashish.
In October 2022, the arrest of former West Sumatra police chief, Inspector General Teddy Minahasa, over his alleged involvement in a drug trafficking case had shocked the public.
On May 9, 2023, a panel of West Jakarta District Court judges sentenced Minahasa to life in prison for trafficking 5 kg of crystal methamphetamine that was originally seized as physical evidence of a drug crime.
Related news: North Sumatra: Police officer sacked over drug offense
Related news: A police officer in Riau nabbed for trafficking 16 kg of crystal meth
Translator: MD Fatir, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
