Chief of the West Jakarta Police, Senior Commissioner M. Syahduddi, however, did not disclose when the suspect, identified as B or BGS, was nabbed from his home in Jakarta.
He said that BGS admitted to having supplied the meth to Virgoun. Police personnel who raided BGS' home found residues of used synthetic drugs there.
"BGS has also admitted that he is a synthetic drug user," he said, adding that BGS is part of Virgoun's band crew.
The musician was arrested along with a woman, identified as PA, for alleged drug abuse at his rented room in South Jakarta early on June 20.
As reported earlier, Indonesia's entertainment world remains vulnerable to drugs, as indicated by the arrests of several entertainers for drug consumption and trade.
Before Virgoun, several Indonesian entertainers had been named in drug-related cases, including Ammar Zoni, Rio Reifan, Roro Fitria, Fachri Albar, Fariz R.M., Jennifer Dunn, Steve Emmanuel, Zul Zivilia, Jefri Nichol, Tri Retno Prayudati, alias Nunung Srimulat, Nanie Darham, and Lucinta Luna.
Female comedian Nunung Srimulat and her husband were apprehended on July 19, 2019.
Police investigators seized 0.36 grams of crystal methamphetamine during their raid at Nunung's house in the Tebet area of South Jakarta.
Another case that drew significant public attention involved movie star Nanie Darham, who was arrested in Jakarta on February 2, 2020, for allegedly trading cocaine. Police investigators accused her of ordering the cocaine from a drug lord outside Indonesia via social media platforms.
Domestic and transnational drug dealers consider Indonesia to be a potential market due to its vast population and widespread drug use.
The value of the drug trade in the country is estimated to have reached nearly Rp66 trillion (around US$4.2 billion), with the number of drug trafficking cases continuing to rise.
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 10,000 Indonesians in the age group of 15 to 64 years were using drugs.
Those using crystal methamphetamine, narcotics, marijuana, and other addictive drugs can belong to any community and socioeconomic and cultural background.
Related news: Banda Aceh's 11 teenage street punks found using drugs: BNN
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Translator: Ilham K, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Anton Santoso
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