The suspected drug trafficker was identified as JS (31), Polairud director at the North Kalimantan Police Headquarters, Sen.Coms.Bambang Wiriawan, informed here on Wednesday.
The suspect was arrested shortly after he received the drug package from two Malaysian nationals on board a 40-HP engine boat in the Tanjung Daun waters, he said.
JS told police investigators that another person, identified as AJ, had asked him to take the crystal meth package from the Tanjung Daun waters and deliver it to a fish pond area, he added.
"JS said he did not know the two men who handed over the package. After receiving the package, JS said, he headed to the fish pond area to open it," Wiriawan said.
The package contained five Chinese tea packs. Four of them were packed with green plastic bags, while the last one contained a transparent plastic bag, he added.
JS said he was supposed to deliver the drug package to two buyers, Wiriawan informed, adding that local cops are still looking for AJ who had ordered JS to deliver the package.
JS has been charged under Articles 114 (2) and 112 (2) of Law No.35 of 2009 on Narcotics. If convicted, he could be sentenced to between six and 20 years in prison.
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 surge.
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: Susylo A, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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