"After we confiscate his assets, we hope we can narrow down his movement,"
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Police's Narcotics Crime Directorate worked along with the Thailand Police and the US' Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in a joint investigation to confiscate assets of international network drug lord, Fredy Pratama, in Thailand.

Director of Narcotics Crime of the National Police, Brigadier General Mukti Juharsa, stated on Friday that hunting down Pratama's assets can narrow down his escape routes and lead to his eventual surrender.

"After we confiscate his assets, we hope we can narrow down his movement," Juharsa noted.

In order to confiscate these assets, his side awaits results of the trial of Pratama's father, Lian Silas, in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, as well as the trial of the money laundering crime (TPPU) case with another suspect, who was also a member of Pratama's network.

According to Juharsa, the decision of the trial will become the start for the National Police to conduct a joint investigation along with the Thai police to hunt down Pratama's assets in Thailand.

"With the trial, we can carry out a joint investigation with the Thai police to confiscate his assets. If he is poor, it will be impossible for him to roam around. He would surrender eventually," he remarked.

Juharsa also revealed that his side had already traced Pratama's whereabouts in Thailand, an area that was beyond reach of the National Police.

During the search for Pratama, the National Police carried out an Escobar operation. From September 2023 to February 2024, some 54 drug suspects from his network, one of whom was Bayu Firmandi, had been arrested in 2023 and charged with TPPU.

In addition, the National Police investigators have confiscated most of Pratama's network assets in Indonesia, with a value of up to Rp400 billion (US$25 million).

"From that amount, Pratama still has assets up to trillions of rupiah. We do not know the exact amount. There are many assets in Thailand as well. In Indonesia, we are still continuing to track them down," Juharsa remarked.

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Translator: Laily Rahmawaty, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Arie Novarina
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