A middle-aged woman sat on the pavement of Jalan KS Tubun, Tanah\nAbang, Central Jakarta, on Friday, 24 July 2026. She watched every\nmotorcycle that passed. When a motorcyclist slowed down and stopped in\nfront of her, the woman immediately stood up. Without much talk, she\nhanded several strips of pills to the two young men on the\nmotorbike.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much, Ma\u2019am?\u201d asked one of them, who was part of the detikX\nteam.<\/p>\n
\u201cThirty,\u201d the woman replied curtly, indicating the price was Rp\n30,000 per strip containing 10 tablets.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs this Tramadol? No Hexymer?\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
The woman shook her head slowly. However, besides showing the drug\nshe called Tramadol, she also pulled out another strip of pills labelled\nTrihexyphenidyl. The terms are interchangeable. Other names for\nTrihexyphenidyl include Eksimer, Hexymer, Trihex, thp, double L (LL),\ncow pills, Yarindo pills, dog pills, yellow pills, double Y, Hexy, or\nTrihexyphenidyl. These definitions are listed in a booklet on preventing\nthe misuse of certain drugs published by the Jakarta Food and Drug\nSupervisory Agency (BPOM). Tramadol and Trihexyphenidyl are\nprescription-only medicines classified as certain drugs (OOT) that are\nillegally traded without a doctor\u2019s prescription and are frequently\nabused.<\/p>\n
Two days earlier, the detikX team traced the road beyond Pasar Tanah\nAbang, looping around to the front of the Museum Tekstil. As evening\napproached, the pavements along the route were filled with activity that\nat first glance appeared ordinary. More than a dozen people were sitting\nor standing along the road, some spaced apart. They appeared to be\noffering something to motorcyclists who slowed down. They were selling\nTramadol and Trihexyphenidyl like street vendors.<\/p>\n
There were young men, middle-aged men, and women carrying black sling\nbags. Some stood almost at the edge of the road, even stepping slightly\ninto the traffic lane. In their hands, they clutched several strips of\npills, holding them up to show passing motorcyclists.<\/p>\n
detikX attempted to walk slowly near them several times, but no one\noffered the drugs. However, the situation was different for\nmotorcyclists. A transaction occurred near the team: a motorbike\ncarrying two young men in their early twenties, both wearing black\nT-shirts and no helmets, suddenly pulled over to the side of the road.\nBefore the engine was even switched off, a young man rushed over to\nthem. The motorcyclist was heard mentioning the figure of Rp 20,000. A\nbrief negotiation ensued and a deal was quickly struck.<\/p>\n
A few minutes later, a man wearing a helmet and carrying a backpack,\nlooking as though he had just finished work, conducted a similar\ntransaction. No haggling was heard. The transaction went smoothly amidst\nthe flow of pedestrians and motor vehicles that afternoon.<\/p>\n
This scene was apparently nothing new for two security officers who\nguard the area daily. Both admitted to seeing sellers of Tramadol and\nTrihexyphenidyl taking turns at the same spot almost every day, with the\npractice spreading even wider.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are people around morning and night, 24 hours,\u201d one of the\nsecurity officers, who wished to remain anonymous, told detikX.<\/p>\n
According to them, the presence of these individuals along the road\nnever really disappears. As day turns to night, there is always someone\nstanding or coming in shifts. However, they claimed they never knew\nexactly what drugs were being traded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we\u2019re on guard at night here, we hear sounds, but we don\u2019t know\nif they\u2019re chatting or dealing. We just know there are always people\nthere,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
From their post, the two officers said they had witnessed police\nconducting raids in the area several times. Every time officers arrive,\nthe people offering the drugs would quickly leave the location.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the police come, they run. A few hours later, they\u2019re back,\u201d\none of the officers said.<\/p>\n
They added that the faces they see are not new. After guarding the\nsame location for some time, they have come to recognise some of the\nsellers who regularly operate along the street.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, it\u2019s the same people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the two security officers claimed they almost never had\nany disputes with the sellers. As long as they are active, the sellers\ndo not disturb the security post or the people on duty. Occasionally, if\nthe sellers shift their position too close to the post, the officers\nsimply remind them to move away. According to them, the warning is\nusually heeded without argument.<\/p>\n
The Tramadol and Trihexyphenidyl traded on the streets around Tanah\nAbang are strongly suspected to be counterfeit or illegally produced.\ndetikX analysed the two drug strips using the counterfeit drug\nidentification guide from the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM).\nFrom the external appearance alone, several irregularities were\nimmediately visible.<\/p>\n
The strip sold as Tramadol, for example, measured 11.8 x 5.8\ncentimetres. This size is slightly larger than the original packaging,\nwhich is recorded as 10.8 x 5.7 centimetres.<\/p>\n
The irregularities did not stop there. The packaging lacked the\nmanufacturer\u2019s or registrant\u2019s logo, the drug content grammage, the\nbrand name, the generic drug logo, the registration number, the\ndistribution permit number, and the expiry date.<\/p>\n
The mandatory warning \u2018Harus dengan resep dokter\u2019 (Must be obtained\nwith a doctor\u2019s prescription) was also missing. Likewise, the\nprescription drug logo\u2014a red circle with a black border containing the\nletter K\u2014was absent.<\/p>\n
Instead, the packaging only displayed three coloured lines designed\nto resemble the original product, complete with a hologram to give the\nimpression of authenticity.<\/p>\n
A similar pattern was found on the Trihexyphenidyl strip. Its\npackaging measured approximately 16 x 5.7 centimetres, differing from\nthe original product size of around 11.4 x 8.1 centimetres. The\nmanufacturer\u2019s logo and the prescription drug logo were also\nmissing.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/heaven-for-illegal-pills-in-tanah-abang-1785246773", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }