37 Nigerians arrested in Tanah Abang raid
37 Nigerians arrested in Tanah Abang raid
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Police arrested on Friday 37 Nigerians who failed to show
their passports, in Hotel Tanah Abang Indah in Central Jakarta.
Police also confiscated 400 grams of heroin and a scale.
The arrest which was made at 11:30 a.m., is the first ever
involving a large number of foreigners, although only a small
amount of drugs was found.
Police needed two buses to transport them from the hotel to
the city police headquarters for questioning.
The men were apprehended after police received a tip off that
Mamanda restaurant in Tanah Abang, had become a place where drug
traffickers conducted transactions.
"Last night, we nabbed a dealer at the restaurant. He led us
to Hotel Tanah Abang Indah where he has been staying for at least
two weeks," said Adj. Sr. Comr. Anjan P. Putra, the newly
appointed chief of detectives for narcotics.
After obtaining information from the dealer, later identified
as Dayke Obe Kana, 22, police detectives raided the hotel's
rooms.
"We found two bags containing heroin and a bag containing a
scale in rooms 359 and 362 on the third floor," said Anjan,
adding that police found four people in room 359, while there
were 12 people in room 362.
The rest of the 21 people were taken from five of the seven
other rooms on the floor.
"However, we have not determined the owner of the heroin as
they refuse to admit ownership of the bags and claim that the
heroin belongs to someone else who has left," said Anjan.
Joseph Samual, 27, one of those who were arrested from room
359, told reporters that the heroin belonged to a friend, named
Paul.
"But, he's left now," Samuel said. But he could not specify
Paul's whereabouts.
Samuel who failed to show any identification, claimed that he
had lost his passport in the fire which gutted Tanah Abang
market.
Samuel said he had been staying in Jakarta for six weeks.
Samuel stayed in the room along with Fran Ugwoke, Chidi
Ekemere, Chris, while in the room 362, Dayke Olekauma stayed
along with 11 other people.
Anjan added that police were still questioning them to
determine whether they really did not have passports.
"If it is proven that they do not have any passports, we will
detain them as they have violated the immigration law," said
Anjan.
Nigerians, like many foreigners from African countries, are
known to be buyers of cloth in textile market Tanah Abang which
has been on fire since Wednesday. But, police have arrested some
of them for involvement in drug trafficking.
Last year, police arrested three Nigerians for allegedly
smuggling 5.9 kilograms of heroin into the country at Regency
Melati Mas housing estate in Serpong, Tangerang, on Aug. 22,
2002. They are the late Izuchukwu Okoloaja, alias Kholisan Nkomo,
25, Michael Titus Igweh, 23, and Hillary K. Chimezie, 33.
The three defendants were released by the Tangerang District
Court, which dropped charges on Feb. 4, citing legal
technicalities. But, police recaptured them. Okoloaja, who had
AIDS, died while in police custody.