"Cases of marijuana distribution are quite high in Bali," Head of the Eradication Division at Bali BNNP, Senior Commissioner I Made Sinar Subawa, stated in Denpasar on Thursday (December 28).
In 2023, his side found 36,527.39 grams of marijuana, while in 2022, it was 19,203.02 grams.
Meanwhile, in 2021, his side found 79,460.26 grams of marijuana and a tree.
"Narcotics consumption in Bali has shifted from methamphetamine to marijuana because the price of marijuana is lower, with easier delivery as well. It can be mixed with drinks or be rolled as a joint. It depends on the supply and demand," he remarked.
Of some of the most prominent cases this year, the Bali BNNP found one perpetrator working as a family planning instructor who was caught with seven packages of marijuana weighing a total of 6,377.02 grams wrapped in wheat flour packaging.
In addition, from the Medan-Bali network disclosure case in 2023, his side found 16 trafficking cases involving 19 suspects, with evidence of 26,063.45 grams of marijuana.
Apart from marijuana, Subawa stated that the Bali BNNP also found a total of 2,016 ecstasy pills, an increase from 169 pills seized in 2022.
Meanwhile, Subawa remarked that cases of methamphetamine distribution decreased, from the discovery of 2,702.07 grams in 2022 to 1,298.73 grams in 2023. One of the prominent cases was the arrest of a Malaysian recidivist who smuggled crystal methamphetamine by concealing it in the rectum.
"On September 13, 2023, a foreigner from Malaysia was arrested at the International Arrivals Terminal at Ngurah Rai Airport, with evidence of four packages of crystal methamphetamine, with a total weight of 172.18 grams net. The narcotics were wrapped in a condom and then inserted into the body through the anus," Subawa revealed.
Head of Bali BNNP, Brigadier General R. Nurhadi Yuwono, stated that in 2023, his side is focusing on rehabilitation, where the number of rehabilitation patients in the 27 existing rehabilitation institutions reached 626 people.
Some 410 addicts voluntarily reported themselves to be rehabilitated, comprising 266 Indonesian citizens and 144 foreign nationals, while 180 drug addicts went through the legal process and received rehabilitation services, he added.
Moreover, the community can make the most of the Community-Based Intervention Program in Bersinar Village to receive assistance and for recovery. Currently, 36 people are benefiting from this program, Yuwono noted.
"Indonesian drug addicts, who report themselves using BNN facilities, receive free rehabilitation services and will not be prosecuted criminally with guaranteed privacy," he stated.
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Translator: Ni Putu Putri M, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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