ASEAN ups cooperation to fight drug trafficking<\/p>\n
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali<\/p>\n
The failure to track chemists and the precursor chemicals for
\ncertain types of illegal drugs remain a major obstacle in the
\nfight against drug trafficking, a conference held here concluded
\non Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Sr. Comr. Indradi Tharos, a senior officer at the Indonesian
\npolice headquarters who chaired the conference commission
\ndebating terrorism, human and drug trafficking, and arms
\nsmuggling, said chemists were indispensable to the production of
\nillegal drugs.<\/p>\n
\"The process of making drugs involves the presence of a
\nchemist, so it is important to have a list of chemists who travel
\nfrequently across (Southeast Asian) countries that can be shared
\namong us,\" he said at the 25th ASEAN Chiefs of Police Conference
\n(ASEANAPOL).<\/p>\n
The commission also discussed plans to beef up the monitoring
\nof imports of precursor chemicals necessary for the production of
\necstasy and methamphetamine (shabu-shabu) from countries such as
\nChina that produce these chemicals.<\/p>\n
\"This monitoring will be a huge challenge in the future
\nbecause there are enormous markets for these two types of drugs,
\nwhether in America, Europe, Australia and even Indonesia,\" said
\nIndradi.<\/p>\n
The challenge, he said, was even more difficult for Indonesia
\nbecause the country had yet to pass a law criminalizing the
\nunlicensed possession of these precursor chemicals.<\/p>\n
The absence of such a law has often led to the imposition of
\nadministrative sanctions only, not jail sentences, for companies
\nfound to have misused their import licenses.<\/p>\n
Another issue discussed at the conference was the possibility
\nof inventorying the assets of suspected drug traffickers to help
\nthe authorities charge the suspects under money laundering laws.<\/p>\n
The conference, which will run through Friday, also
\nhighlighted efforts to tighten the monitoring of ports to cut
\ndown on the amount of illegal drugs entering the member states of
\nthe Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).<\/p>\n
\"We have several ports that are loosely monitored, such as
\nBenoa Port in Bali which serves about 700 boats per month. The
\nproblem is how to tighten the monitoring of these boats,\" Indradi
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He said a survey was underway of Indonesia's ports to identify
\nthose that needed to tighten their security and monitoring
\nprocedures.<\/p>\n
According to the National Narcotics Agency, most of the ports
\nthat are prone to the entrance of illegal drugs are located in
\nSumatra, Batam, Riau and Bali.<\/p>\n
Indradi also said Indonesia could use this conference to
\nsecure assistance in tracking down suspects who fled Indonesia to
\nother ASEAN countries.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/asean-ups-cooperation-to-fight-drug-trafficking-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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