"As President Prabowo told Coordinating Minister (Budi Gunawan), he wants Indonesia to be the 'killing ground' for drug dealers and networks," said Lt. Gen. Mochamad Hasan, Secretary of the Coordinating Ministry for Political and Security Affairs, on Friday.
To carry out the president's message, the ministry encouraged all people to unite in the war against drugs and never show any compromise to them.
Hasan expressed optimism that Indonesia will never be conquered by drugs since "we are facing them with the law and undeterred spirit and will".
He explained that to pool all powers in Indonesia's anti-drug crusade, the coordinating ministry has formed the "Drug Eradication Coordination Desk" comprising the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), the military, the police, the state intelligence, local authorities, and community figures.
"We can no longer work alone. Eradicating drugs is not merely the duty of the BNN or the police; it is a national duty which requires a thorough orchestration of the state powers," Hasan said.
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He highlighted that the priority agenda of the Coordination Desk includes intensifying raids on drug hotspots, cutting drug supply and financial lines with financial intelligence and cyber-surveillance, and imposing harsher punishment for major drug dealers.
The desk has also enhanced its social rehabilitation capacity for drug abuse victims and encourages civil anti-drug movement involving schools and workplaces.
"We are currently seeking actions against public organisations affiliated with gangster activities who have provided backing to drug dealers," he added.
As a result, the Coordination Desk has successfully confiscated 474 kg of narcotics from 21 drug cases involving 43 suspects in Java, Bali, and Sumatra regions. The narcotics were destroyed by the BNN this Friday.
The BNN also announced its findings of a new type of drug disguised as e-cigarettes in the form of vaping pods, after officers thwarted an illegal shipment from Malaysia and France.
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Translator: Fath Putra Mulya, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Anton Santoso
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