During raids conducted by the agency's personnel on November 8, 13, and 17, five suspected drug traffickers were arrested, head of the agency's Eradication Department, Sen.Coms.Bubung Pramiadi, said.
The suspects, identified as YN (41), MZ (43), HT (28), RN (40), and FN (33), belonged to a drug trafficking network in Riau Islands province, he said, adding that YN and MZ were nabbed on November 8. BNN officers confiscated 483 grams of crystal methamphetamine from them.
HT was apprehended by officials after he was caught carrying a crystal meth package during a luggage check on November 13. The drug package weighing 2,506 grams was packed in 10 plastic bags.
Following HT's arrest, BNN officers tracked down the whereabouts of RN, who belonged to HT's network, he said. RN then arrested in the Kibing neighborhood of Batu Aji sub-district, Batam city, on November 14.
On November 16, the agency's investigators received a tip about a drug package being smuggled via a logistic and delivery service. On November 17, BNN officers managed to identify the man who was supposed to receive the package. The suspect was identified as FN.
Domestic and transnational drug dealers consider Indonesia to be a potential market due to its vast population and millions of drug users.
The value of the drug trade in the country is estimated to have reached nearly Rp66 trillion, with the number of drug trafficking cases continuing to increase.
A joint survey conducted by the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) in 2019 pegged the number of drug users in Indonesia at over 3.4 million.
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.
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Translator: Jessica AJH, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Arie Novarina
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