Efforts to eradicate drug trafficking in Indonesia continue to face\nsteep challenges, often caused by the involvement of law enforcement\nofficers themselves. Over the last decade, members of the police, the\nIndonesian National Armed Forces, and the National Narcotics Agency have\nbeen implicated in the circulation and abuse of narcotics. The\ninvolvement of these officers, who are supposed to safeguard the\nnation\u2019s future generations, has varied. It ranges from selling evidence\nseized from case disclosures, becoming part of drug trafficking\nsyndicates, acting as protectors or guarantors for dealers to continue\noperating, to being involved as drug addicts themselves.<\/p>\n
One unforgettable case is the involvement of former West Sumatra\nPolice Chief Inspector General Teddy Minahasa in 2022. As the\nhighest-ranking official in the region, Teddy ordered the then\nBukittinggi Police Chief, AKBP Doddy Prawiranegara, to swap 5 kilograms\nof seized crystal methamphetamine with alum. Teddy also ordered Doddy to\nsell the illicit goods and hand over the proceeds. Doddy then personally\ntransported the stolen methamphetamine to sell to a dealer network in\nJakarta at a price of up to IDR 300 million per kilogram. The case\nshocked the public as it occurred just after Teddy had been appointed\nEast Java Police Chief by National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit\nPrabowo. The appointment was immediately revoked, and Teddy was\nsanctioned with a dishonourable discharge. The Supreme Court also\nrejected Teddy\u2019s appeal, making his life sentence legally binding, while\nhis subordinate Doddy received a 17-year prison sentence.<\/p>\n
Beyond the police, there was the involvement of former Makassar\nMilitary District Commander, Infantry Colonel Jefri Oktavian Rotty.\nJefri, as the district commander, held a drug party with the Head of the\nCommand and Control Centre of the VII\/Wirabuana Regional Military\nCommand, Lieutenant Colonel Budi Iman Santoso, at a hotel. During the\nparty, Jefri consumed a new type of illicit substance uncovered by the\nNational Narcotics Agency called \u2018blue sapphire\u2019 liquid. The liquid was\nmixed into alcoholic drinks, giving the drinker effects similar to\nconsuming narcotics. Both soldiers tested positive for drug use through\nurine tests. Jefri was subsequently dismissed from the military and\nsentenced to 10 months in prison in December 2016.<\/p>\n
The sale of seized evidence was also carried out by three\ninvestigators from the Jakarta National Narcotics Agency with the\ninitials S, AM, and MH in 2020. The three sold a total of 6.9 kilograms\nof crystal methamphetamine stolen from seized evidence repeatedly over\n10 occasions between May and August 2019. The methamphetamine was sold\nfor IDR 517.5 million using a down payment system, with the remainder\ntransferred once successfully sold to the buyer. The three Jakarta\nNational Narcotics Agency investigators were sentenced to 14 years in\nprison in July 2020.<\/p>\n
Authority as law enforcement officers is also frequently misused to\nprotect drug syndicates. Instead of taking action, some officers become\npart of the illicit network. One such case is former South Lampung\nPolice Narcotics Unit Head, AKP Andri Gustami. Andri, who led the\nnarcotics eradication unit, was involved in the international drug lord\nFredy Pratama\u2019s syndicate. The Police Criminal Investigation Department\nhad seized a total of 10.2 tons of methamphetamine affiliated with\nFredy\u2019s network in Indonesia during the 2020-2023 period. Fredy\u2019s\nsyndicate smuggled methamphetamine and ecstasy into Indonesia in\nquantities ranging from 100 kg to 500 kg, using the modus operandi of\ndisguising the drugs in tea packaging. Instead of helping to uncover the\nnetwork, Andri became Fredy\u2019s special courier, facilitating the passage\nof methamphetamine through the Bakauheni Port in Lampung to Jakarta.\nAndri carried out this escort operation eight times between May and June\n2023. A total of 150 kilograms of methamphetamine and 2,000 ecstasy\npills were successfully distributed, with Andri receiving up to IDR 1.3\nbillion in compensation. For his actions, Andri was given an ethical\nsanction of a dishonourable discharge and sentenced to death.<\/p>\n
A similar act was committed by two Indonesian Army soldiers, Sertu\nYalpin Tarzun and Pratu Rian Hermawan, in December 2022. The two were\narrested while acting as couriers for 75 kilograms of methamphetamine\nand 40,000 ecstasy pills in the Deli Serdang area of North Sumatra. They\nwere paid IDR 2 million for each kilogram of drugs successfully\ndelivered. This delivery was their second before being arrested by the\nPolice Criminal Investigation Department. For their actions, Sertu\nYalpin Tarzun and Pratu Rian Hermawan were dismissed from the military\nand sentenced to life imprisonment by the panel of judges.<\/p>\n
Most recently, a member of the 031 Military Resort Command, Indragiri\nHulu Military District, Serma Yonanda Agusta, was involved in the\nshipment of 40 kilograms of methamphetamine from Tanjung Balai Port to\nbe taken out of the province. Serma Yonanda also consumed crystal\nmethamphetamine inside the car during the delivery journey. Economic\nmotives were again the reason the soldier agreed to become a drug\ncourier. He was subsequently dismissed from his unit and sentenced to 20\nyears in prison.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/traces-of-law-enforcement-in-the-narcotics-business-cycle-1782445980", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }