3 men arrested for cannabis

JAKARTA (JP): Three men were arrested in Tangerang, West Java, Saturday for allegedly possessing two cannabis plants and an ounce of dried marijuana, police said.

The cannabis plants are believed to the first found in Tangerang, said police chief Lt. Col. Aryanto Boedihardjo.

He said Saturday his office would soon raid the area to find other suspected marijuana users and dealers.

"Dried marijuana is quite common in the area. But cannabis plants? That's something else. We will sweep the area to find other plants which have possibly been grown by other people," he said.

He suspected there were some plants which had been planted in the Serpong district.

Two of the three arrested suspects were caught at one of their houses in Pakulonan village, Serpong.

Aryanto said that Anton, 17, and Juwisman, 45, were accused of illegally growing two cannabis plants in the backyard of the house.

Anton said during the interrogation that he had received the plants from a friend, Aryanto said.

"The two plants, about 30 centimeters high, were confiscated as evidence," he said.

Aryanto said the other arrested suspect was Wahjudi, 23, a notorious hoodlum in Pasar Ayer. He was arrested Thursday with an ounce of dried marijuana.

"Wahjudi was stoned when my men caught him. He said during interrogation that he received the marijuana from a dealer who used to hang around at a food stall in Jati Uwung district."

He said Wahjudi would face a maximum seven years in jail or a Rp 250 million (US$20,833) fine for possessing and using marijuana.

Anton and Juwisman face a maximum 10 years in jail and a Rp 500 million fine for growing the cannabis plants. (cst)