"Community support is crucial in preventing the circulation of marijuana, which greatly impacts our younger generation," Jayapura City Police Narcotics Unit Chief Adjunct Commissioner Febry Pardede said here on Monday.
According to Pardede, most of the marijuana the police confiscated in Jayapura was smuggled into the city from PNG through footpaths along the Indonesia-PNG border.
In the first half of this year, police seized 22.6 kilograms of marijuana allegedly smuggled from PNG, leading to the arrest of 30 suspects across 22 investigation files, he said.
The amount marks a sharp increase from the 7.5 kilograms seized during the same period in 2024.
The marijuana is not only sold in Jayapura but also transported to other cities in the Papua region, including Manokwari in West Papua, Nabire in Central Papua, and Sorong in Southwest Papua.
According to police, traffickers often use ships departing from Jayapura Port to smuggle the drugs to other islands.
Pardede urged the public not to hesitate in reporting suspected drug activity, particularly involving marijuana, to help break the supply chain.
"Don't be afraid to speak up. Your information can help disrupt the marijuana trafficking network," he said, adding that police remain committed to working with communities to curb drug distribution in the region.
The Indonesia-PNG border has long been vulnerable to cross-border criminal activity, particularly drug trafficking.
On July 8, 2025, for instance, the RI-PNG border security task force secured a big bag containing 128 packs of marijuana during a routine military patrol in a forest near Skofro Village, Arso Timur Subdistrict, Keerom District, Papua.
On May 9, 2024, 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.
Related news: Indonesian Navy steps up patrols to curb drug smuggling from PNG
Related news: TNI border patrol uncovers marijuana field near Papua border
Translator: Evarukdijati, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Primayanti
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