African national arrested over drugs

African national arrested over drugs

JAKARTA (JP): Malawian Dennis Namaona, 35, became the sixth
foreigner this year to be arrested for drug possession at
Soekarno-Hatta airport, after customs officers apprehended him on
Sunday morning for attempting to smuggle heroin into the country.

Director General of Customs and Excise Permana Agung said on
Monday that Dennis claimed that he had swallowed at least 65
capsules containing heroin.

However later in the day customs officer Subhan told The
Jakarta Post that "Dennis had excreted 73 capsules by 6:30 p.m.
He lied to us when he said he had swallowed only 65 capsules."

Customs officers were said to have been immediately suspicious
of Dennis after he disembarked from a Singapore Airlines aircraft
arriving from Karachi, Pakistan.

The swallowed heroin capsules were discovered after he was x-
rayed at the airport clinic.

The heroin, weighing a total of about 940 grams, had an
estimated total street value of Rp 1.16 billion (US$108,700).

Indonesia's narcotics Law No. 22/1997 stipulates the death
penalty or a life sentence for drug dealers and smugglers.

Denis is the sixth foreigner apprehended for drugs at
Indonesia's main entry point.

On three consecutive days in January officers at the airport
foiled three separate attempts to smuggle drugs into the country.

South African Zwelbanzi Joseph Manana attempted to smuggle 1.2
kilograms of heroin on Jan. 28, followed by Nigerian Hansen
Anthony Nwaolisa, 35, who was stopped the next day as he tried to
smuggle 800 grams of heroin.

Then Zimbabwean Ozias Sibanda, 33, was apprehended on Jan. 30
after he was found in possession of 33 capsules of heroin.

The other foreigners arrested for drug smuggling at the
airport were Nigerian Samuel Iwuch Kwuokoje and Nepalese Indra
Bahadur Taman. (ylt)