Witness implicates Dutchman in drug trafficking trial<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A prosecution witness said yesterday that Dutch
\nnational Christian van den Bosch, who is on trial for drug
\ntrafficking, was about to sell the contraband at the time of his
\narrest.<\/p>\n
Maj. Charles Marpaung, chief of Central Jakarta police's
\ncrime intelligence unit, testified at Central Jakarta District
\nCourt that the defendant was "in the process of conducting an
\nillegal transaction."<\/p>\n
Christian, along with fellow Dutchman Leonard Iacobus, alias
\nLevi, and two Americans, Steven J. Bryner and Peter M. Karajin,
\nwere arrested on Feb. 6 at the coffee shop in Jakarta's Borobudur
\nInter-Continental hotel.<\/p>\n
They were caught trying to sell some 5,000 pills of a drug
\npopularly known as Eva containing derivat amphetamine, a
\nnarcotic-like substance.<\/p>\n
Marpaung explained that Christian and the two Americans waited
\nat their table while Levi went with the potential buyer to
\nconduct the transaction in the restroom. It was at this time that
\nthe police made the arrests.<\/p>\n
Charles testified that the witness and his accomplices
\nattempted to escape but were apprehended by police officers.<\/p>\n
The potential buyer, an Indonesian by the name of Irsan,
\nmanaged to escape and remains at large.<\/p>\n
During the trial, the prosecution, led by Suriansjah,
\nintroduced the aforementioned drugs as evidence.<\/p>\n
Police investigators have discovered that the 27-year-old
\ndefendant first entered the country in October 1992 as a tourist
\nand has since made six trips here.<\/p>\n
It was during one of these visits that he met a woman named
\nNova at the trendy Tanamur discotheque in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Nova ordered between 5,000 and 6,000 of the Eva pills at a
\nprice of Rp 80,000 (US$37) each. Thus the total value of the
\narranged transaction is in excess of Rp 400 million ($188,700).<\/p>\n
To fill the order, in July 1993 the defendant then sent the
\npills by air freight from the Netherlands to Bryner, who happened
\nto work as a security officer at the American embassy here.<\/p>\n
The defendant returned to Jakarta in January and on Feb. 5 was
\ncontacted by Irsan who said he would conduct the drug deal the
\nnext day on behalf of Nova.<\/p>\n
Maj. Marpaung revealed that it was at this time that he
\nreceived a tip that the deal was about to go down. However, he
\nrefused to disclose his source.<\/p>\n
Christian's accomplice Levi is being tried separately while
\nthe two Americans, under the protection of diplomatic immunity,
\nleft the country and will be tried in the United States.<\/p>\n
During yesterday's trial, the defendant's lawyers, led by Azis
\nAffandi, questioned the police's failure to capture Irsan and the
\ndisappearance of Nova.<\/p>\n
However, Judge Djamil Sularso overruled the defendant's
\nlawyers' questioning as irrelevant.<\/p>\n
The trials of both Christian van den Bosch and Leonard Iacobus
\nwere adjourned until week at which time the defense will make its
\ncase. (mds)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/witness-implicates-dutchman-in-drug-trafficking-trial-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}