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)