Two caught in record drug haul<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Customs officers at the Soekarno-Hatta
\nInternational Airport have arrested two Singaporeans for
\nsmuggling a record 70,431 Ecstasy pills into Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Director of Prevention and Investigation at the Director
\nGeneral of Customs and Excise, Thomas Sugijata, told The Jakarta
\nPost yesterday the two were apprehended on Sunday evening after
\ndisembarked Cathay Pacific flight number 777 from Paris via Hong
\nKong.<\/p>\n
The two are identified as Khang Teck Chuan, 41, and Yeo Chee
\nKeng, 28.<\/p>\n
During interrogation, Teng said he is a contractor and Chuan a
\nbusinessman in their country.<\/p>\n
According to Thomas, the pills, which have an estimated price
\nof at least Rp 4.2 billion (US$1.8 million) through illicit
\ntransactions here, were packed in three plastic bags kept in
\ncamouflaged children toys boxes.<\/p>\n
\"Some of the pills were mixed with peppermints,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Some others were covered with carbon papers, Thomas added.<\/p>\n
After an X-Ray detector located the pills, customs officers
\nopened the boxes and questioned the owners in an interrogation
\nroom.<\/p>\n
\"This is the largest haul we've ever made, so far, after the
\nseizure of 60,000 Ecstasy pills in the airport in April,\" Thomas
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
During interrogation at the airport customs, Chuan and Keng
\nsaid the pills were ordered by members of an Ecstasy drug
\ntraffickers syndicate, who they met several times in discotheques
\noverseas.<\/p>\n
They said they are regular visitors of famous discotheques in
\nParis, Singapore and Bangkok.<\/p>\n
According to the two, they brought the drugs since they
\ndeparted Paris on Nov. 30 until they arrived at 4:46 p.m. Sunday.<\/p>\n
Another airport source said that the pills were purchased from
\nBelgium capital of Brussels.<\/p>\n
The two suspects, who are members of a large-scale drug ring
\nsyndicate in Asia, were awaited by their local member at the
\nairport, said the source.<\/p>\n
Chuan and Keng are now under anti-narcotics police detention,
\nwaiting for the completion of the dossiers to stand trial.<\/p>\n
Since the Ecstasy pills have become popular among youngsters
\nhere, the airport Customs and Excise have made a remarkable
\nrecord in confiscating pills tried to be smuggled by drug
\ntraffickers.<\/p>\n
A total of 239,048 pills have been seized along with dozens of
\nsuspects by the airport officers since March 1996, Thomas said.<\/p>\n
Most of the embarkation place of the suspects were European
\ncountries, particularly Amsterdam.<\/p>\n
The second largest seizure of 60,000 Ecstasy pills in April
\nwere kept by the owner in a bag but was left behind in order to
\nallow his other syndicate member, who was a worker at the
\nairport, to take it later at the Lost & Found office.<\/p>\n
Thanks to the police support, all of the four members,
\nincluding a wife of a movie actor, Barry Prima, were arrested.
\nThey are now waiting for their punishment this week at the
\nTangerang court. (bsr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/two-caught-in-record-drug-haul-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}