The lawmakers were identified as KM from the National Mandate Party (PAN) and MW from Golkar Party, director of the South Sulawesi Police's Narcotics Division, Sen.Coms.Darmawan Affandi, said.
They were nabbed at Maleo Hotel following the arrest of a drug courier, identified by his initials as A, who helped them obtain a sachet of crystal meth, he told local journalists here on Wednesday.
"The police investigators are still probing the case," he said, adding that the personnel who arrested them found a sachet of crystal meth weighing 0.39 grams.
Affandi said the two legislators may have obtained the drug for personal consumption and may have asked A to help them purchase it.
ANTARA reported earlier that according to a joint survey conducted by the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) in 2019, there were over 3.4 million drug users in Indonesia.
The survey conducted in 34 provinces indicated that about 180 out of every 10 thousand Indonesians in the age group of 15 to 64 years were addicted to drugs.
The users of crystal methamphetamine, narcotics, marijuana, and other types of addictive drugs can belong to any community and socioeconomic and cultural background.
Hence, it is not surprising if politicians, students, and entertainers are sometimes found to be drug users.
In August 2018, Ibrahim Hasan alias Ibrahim Hongkong, a member of Langkat district's legislative body in North Sumatra province, was arrested over his involvement in transnational drug trafficking activities.
The case led to Ibrahim being sacked from the National Democrat Party (Nasdem), which had paved the way for his political career and his election as a member of Langkat district's legislative body.
The government is well aware of the alarming threat of drug abuse and addiction in the country. Since his first leadership term, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has been reminding the nation of the grave impact of drug consumption on Indonesia.
Translator: MD Fatir, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
