Police seize two tons of smuggled garlic<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Police announced yesterday that they have
\narrested ten women for smuggling two tons of garlic through the
\nTanjung Priok port, but released them later for undisclosed
\nreasons.<\/p>\n
\"We have freed the suspects after questioning them
\nintensively,\" Lt. Col. Latief Rabar, spokesman for the city
\npolice.<\/p>\n
The ten inang-inang (local slang for gutsy woman traders from
\nNorth Sumatra), identified only by their initials, were said to
\nhave departed from Tanjung Pinang in the Riau province on July 16
\naboard the Umsini carrier for Tanjung Priok, Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Anonymous persons who claimed to have followed the ten women
\ncontacted the Tanjung Pinang police, who then relayed the tip-off
\nto the Tanjung Priok police.<\/p>\n
The women reportedly bought the garlic from a third party who
\nwas believed to have smuggled the produce from Singapore.<\/p>\n
In their efforts to avoid inspection by customs the women
\npacked the garlic in 45 bags. Each woman carried between four and
\nfive bags. With such a ploy the suspects believed they could pass
\nthrough the security check at the Tanjung Priok port.<\/p>\n
The Tanjung Priok police, who had already received the tip-
\noff, thoroughly searched the baggage of all passengers when the
\nship anchored at around 4 p.m. on Monday.<\/p>\n
Police found the garlic in the ten bags owned by the women.<\/p>\n
Based on the findings, police detained the women for
\nquestioning on charges of smuggling. The allegations were flatly
\ndenied by the inang-inang. They insisted they had legally bought
\nthe garlic from the Tanjung Pinang marketplace.<\/p>\n
Police were however convinced that the garlic was not from the
\nmarket, but smuggled from abroad instead, since the goods were
\nnot covered by the required documents.<\/p>\n
The importation of garlic here is monopolized by two firms, PT
\nSarana Hidup Sejahtera and PT Cempaka Putih.<\/p>\n
\"Their guilt is that they did not import the produce via the
\nassociation, which is acknowledged by the government,\" Latief
\nadded. (jsk)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-seize-two-tons-of-smuggled-garlic-1447893297",
"image": ""
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