Police make biggest drug bust ever<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Police have arrested a Malaysian, a Thai and an
\nIndonesian in the largest drug bust ever made in this country,
\nseizing 29 kilograms of high-grade heroin with an estimated
\nstreet-value of Rp 58 billion ($26.97 million).<\/p>\n
The three were arrested at Hotel Indonesia on Jl. MH Thamrin
\nin Central Jakarta at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporter, the chief of the National Police Crime
\nInvestigation Unit, Brig. Gen. Rusdihardjo, said the suspects,
\nbelieved to be part of an international drug syndicate, could
\nface the death sentence or life imprisonment if convicted.<\/p>\n
He identified the suspects as Tham Tuck Yin, alias A Tjai, 29,
\na Malaysian national, Sae Lim Iaw, alias Boon Tan, 50, a Thai
\nnational, and Freddy, alias A Ting, 44, a resident of Bekasi, a
\nfast growing suburb east of Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The suspected buyer, identified by the police as Tp, escaped
\nduring the raid and is still at large.<\/p>\n
\"The total value of the heroin is the largest ever in the
\nhistory of heroin seizure in this country,\" Rusdihardjo said.<\/p>\n
The previous largest haul seven years ago when police seized
\n17.7 kilograms of heroin being smuggled by a Thai seaman, Kamjai
\nKong Thavorm, in Samarinda, East Kalimantan. Kamjai was sentenced
\nto death and the drug was burned.<\/p>\n
Rusdihardjo said the 29 kilograms consisted of 60 small bags
\neach containing 480 grams of heroin.<\/p>\n
During the raid in Hotel Indonesia's lobby on Wednesday, the
\npolice found six bags in the possession of the Malaysian, A Tjai,
\nand A Ting. Based on information from the suspects, the police
\nlater found another 54 bags at A Ting's house on Jl. Patriot in
\nthe Jaka Sampurna housing complex in West Bekasi.<\/p>\n
The Thai national, Boon Tan, was arrested in a room at the
\nhotel where he was allegedly waiting for a buyer.<\/p>\n
Other party<\/p>\n
National Police Force Deputy Chief for Operational Affairs,
\nMaj. Gen. Koesparmono Irsan said investigators believed that none
\nof the heroin smuggled into the country by the syndicate had been
\npassed on to other hands before the raid.<\/p>\n
Koesparmono said the arrest of the syndicate members had been
\nassisted by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration
\n(DEA) office.<\/p>\n
Rusdihardjo said the Indonesian police had been informed about
\nthe movements of this syndicate since January.<\/p>\n
The confiscated heroin, which is between 95 and 97 percent
\npure, is believed to have been smuggled into Indonesia by boat
\nthrough Belawan, North Sumatra, from Phuket, a tourist resort in
\nThailand, by A Tjai in January.<\/p>\n
According to police reports, after spending about one-and-a-
\nhalf days at sea, A Tjai arrived in Belawan and took an ojek
\n(motorcyclist providing rides for a fare) to the bus terminal in
\nMedan before he left for Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"Each of the bags containing the heroin was coated with
\nparaffin so the drug could not be damaged by water or detected by
\npolice dogs,\" Rusdihardjo said.<\/p>\n
Upon arrival in Jakarta, the heroin was stored at A Ting's
\nhouse in West Bekasi.<\/p>\n
Overproduction<\/p>\n
Rusdihardjo quoted the two foreign suspects as saying that the
\nhuge amount of the heroin seized on Wednesday was due to
\noverproduction of the drug in Thailand. \"For the time being, the
\ncountry is able to produce around 5,000 tons of heroin per annum,
\ncompared to the normal annual production capacity of between 800
\nand 1,200 tons.\"<\/p>\n
\"Due to the current overproduction, the producers are willing
\nto send the heroin to other countries, including Indonesia,
\nwithout any down payment, if necessary,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He quoted A Tjai as saying that the heroin they had in their
\npossession had not yet been paid for.<\/p>\n
During police questioning, the two foreigners admitted that
\nthey had come to Indonesia several times to observe the local
\nmarket potential for heroin.<\/p>\n
Boon Tan, who reportedly acted as the supervisor for the
\nsyndicate, has visited Indonesia six times, twice via the Polonia
\nairport in Medan, North Sumatra, and four times via the Soekarno-
\nHatta international airport in the capital.<\/p>\n
Rusdihardjo explained that the syndicate's route link Phuket,
\nBelawan, Medan and Jakarta. \"Usually, traffickers use the
\nPekanbaru-Jakarta route.\"<\/p>\n
The Malaysian, A Tjai, who acted as courier, has come here
\nthree times, including twice through the Soekarno-Hatta airport
\nand once illegally through the Polonia airport.<\/p>\n
A day before the raid, the two arrived in Jakarta from
\nThailand via Singapore on SilkAir airlines.<\/p>\n
When asked for confirmation about the suspect's nationality,
\nNorman, a consular affairs staff member at the Malaysian embassy
\nhere, said that he had not yet been informed about the arrest by
\nthe Indonesian authorities.<\/p>\n
Thai embassy staff here could not be reached for comment.
\n(bsr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-make-biggest-drug-bust-ever-1447893297",
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