24 traffickers sent to Nusakambangan

24 traffickers sent to Nusakambangan

BANDARLAMPUNG, Lampung: Lampung authorities quietly transferred 24 Acehnese convicted drug traffickers from Rajabasa prison in Bandar Lampung to Nusakambangan prison in Cilacap, Central Java, last Monday.

Police authorities said the convicts, who were sentenced to between five and 20 years imprisonment, were not informed beforehand of the transfer. And it is unclear if the convicts' families have been informed of the transfer.

The 24 men were arrested attempting to transport a large amount of marijuana from Aceh to Jakarta, via the Bakauheni Port in Lampung.

Bandar Lampung Police chief Sr. Com. Bung Djono said on Thursday the transfer of the prisoners was meant as a form of "shock therapy" for drug traffickers and dealers in Lampung.

"They were caught transporting dozens of kilograms of dried marijuana from Aceh to Jakarta," Bung Djono said.

However, he declined to answer questions about whether the 24 were members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), a secessionist movement that has been fighting for an independent Aceh since the 1970s.-- JP