Two more ecstasy factories found<\/p>\n
Eva C. Komandjaja and Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta\/Malang<\/p>\n
Police have discovered two ecstasy factories in the East Java
\ntowns of Malang and Banyuwangi, almost two weeks after a
\nsuccessful raid on a huge plant in Serang regency, Banten.<\/p>\n
During the latest raids on Wednesday, officers from the
\nNational Police Headquarters and the National Narcotics Agency
\n(BNN) arrested five people allegedly running the drug factories.<\/p>\n
Police are still hunting down a Ambonese Dutch national
\nidentified only as Richard and his Indonesian partner, Hashim.
\nThey would not explain the pair's role in the ecstasy ring.<\/p>\n
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Aryanto Boedihardjo said
\non Thursday police were tipped by the Hong Kong Police about the
\nlocation of the two factories in East Java.<\/p>\n
\"The Hong Kong Police told us that they had information on
\npill-making machines sent to Indonesia, therefore, the police and
\nthe customs officers went to check on the delivery to find the
\nexact locations where the machines had been delivered,\" Aryanto
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The machines were discovered in two locations in Batu district
\nin Malang and in Ketapang district in Banyuwangi. The police
\nlater arrested Siswo Prawiro, the owner of the two factories, and
\nhis accomplices Satrio, Sugeng, Suparmin and Tomi.<\/p>\n
Previously, the police raided a giant ecstasy plant in Serang,
\nbelieved to be Southeast Asia's largest ever found, which could
\nproduce a million ecstasy pills a week with a street value of an
\nestimated Rp 100 billion (US$10 million).<\/p>\n
During the police raid in Banten, which was led by National
\nPolice chief Gen. Sutanto, the police discovered 62.4 tons of
\nprecursor chemicals for making methamphetamine and 6.7 tons of
\nchemicals for ecstasy production. Police also seized thousands of
\necstasy pills and hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine ready
\nto be transported to Hong Kong<\/p>\n
Aryanto said the Banyuwangi factory, although much smaller
\nthan the one found in Serang, was capable of producing 12,000
\necstasy pills a day. The factory could earn up to Rp 28.8 billion
\nper month, Aryanto said.<\/p>\n
The factory in Banyuwangi was built in February, using a
\nbusiness license for a prawn farm under the name PT Ndaru Laut.
\nThe other factory in Malang was ostensibly operating as a bird
\nbreeding house.<\/p>\n
The police confiscated several machines used to produce the
\nillicit drugs and other equipment from the Malang and Banyuwangi
\nplants but said they did not find any ecstasy pills or precursor
\nchemicals used to make the drug.<\/p>\n
Neither did they have evidence linking the factories in Batu
\nand Banyuwangi to the Banten operation.<\/p>\n
\"We're still investigating the case now and we're currently
\nworking with the U.S. DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) and the
\nAustralian Federal Police,\" Aryanto said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/two-more-ecstasy-factories-found-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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