The package was being smuggled by two men from Papua New Guinea, the task force’s commander, Lt Col Dedi Harnoto, told ANTARA in Jayapura on Wednesday evening.
However, the suspects fled into the forest, leaving the bag behind when soldiers approached and greeted them.
Army personnel then inspected the bag and found 128 packs of cannabis inside.
The task force’s personnel, who secured the marijuana package after the two men dropped it while being caught during the patrol, belong to the 131/Brajasakti Infantry Battalion.
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The confiscated marijuana has been handed over to Arso Timur Police Chief 2nd Inspector Jimmy Saumen for investigation.
The Indonesia-PNG border has long been vulnerable to cross-border criminal activity, particularly drug trafficking.
On May 9, 2024, for instance, the Indonesian Navy’s quick-response team thwarted an attempt by six drug traffickers to smuggle 13.43 kilograms of dried marijuana from PNG into Papua.
Earlier, on March 21, 2024, at around 2:15 a.m. local time, Papua police arrested two PNG citizens for allegedly smuggling 51 packages of marijuana into Jayapura. The suspects, identified as Junior Lenga and Rindox, had hidden the drugs inside four sacks of rice.
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Translator: Evarukdijati, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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