"The current amount is larger than in 2011."
Tanjungpinang (ANTARA News) - Customs and excise officials of the Riau Islands province have foiled a smuggling attempt of 3.4 kg heroine at the Sri Bintan Pura international seaport on Monday.

The alleged smuggler identified by his initial as Ih hailing from Malaysia committed the heroin smuggling by Ferry MV Cinta Indomas heading to Tanjungpinang, the Customs and Excise personnel said, adding Il has been questioned by the Customs and Excise officials.

In the meantime, during 2012, the Directorate General of Customs and Excise(DJBC) has seized at least 539 kilograms of narcotics, doubling the figures from 2011.

"We have seized narcotics of 538,980.95 grams, or 539 kilograms. The current amount is larger than [that seized] in 2011, which reached 217,392.17 grams," said Customs and Excise Director General Agung Kuswandono at a press conference in the DJBC office on Friday.

According to him, the type of narcotics that have increased the most in 2012 is Ecstasy, of which authorities have seized up to 383,127.05 grams compared with figures in 2011 of only 9,665.7 grams.

The DJBC has also seized cocaine weighing up to 6,847 grams in 2012, which has increased from the 2011 seizure of 176.17 grams.

The institution has also revealed an increase in heroin smuggling attempts in 2012, having seized 30,382.9 grams compared with the 14,718 grams it had seized in 2011.

Furthermore, the DJBC has recorded a decrease in methamphetamine smuggling into Indonesia. In 2012, customs seized at least 92,609.79 grams of methamphetamine, a drop from 2011 figures of 158,376.7 grams.

"We cannot measure the financial losses created by the narcotics problem, but we expect it to be negligible. Our youth could have gotten addicted and displayed poor morals if the 539 kilograms of narcotics had been misused," Agung said.

The institution has also seized several commodities that violate customs law in as many as 3,286 cases that would have created financial losses to the state of up to Rp193.4 billion.
(T.BTM1/B003/F001)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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