Bekasi City Metro Police arrest cannabis dealer linked to Sumatra network; 41 kg of cannabis seized

Bekasi City Metropolitan Police arrested a man identified as AS at a rented house on Jalan Bintara Jaya RT 014 RW 09, Bekasi Barat District, Bekasi City, West Java, on Tuesday afternoon, 3 March. AS is suspected of acting as a cannabis trafficker in a Sumatra-linked network. Bekasi City Police Chief, Senior Commissioner Kusumo Wahyu Bintoro, said AS sent the cannabis using a shipping package containing coffee powder to mislead the police. ‘It was stated that the goods were given coffee powder so that the aroma and smell could not be detected,’ he said on Wednesday, 4 March. In the operation, authorities seized 41 kilograms of cannabis from three different locations. The first arrest was made in the Sumber Arta area. ‘The perpetrator is only one. He also has a rented house with his family in Tambun, shared with his parents,’ Kusumo said. The chief added that initially they arrested AS with 2 kg of cannabis as evidence. After that, follow-up investigations uncovered 30 kg of cannabis in the Bintara area. Finally, in a subsequent operation, police recovered a further 9 kg of cannabis from AS’s rented house in Tambun. AS is suspected of distributing cannabis in Jakarta, Bekasi, Depok, and Surabaya. ‘We believe this is a Sumatra network, and distribution had recently sent items to Surabaya, and during this period distribution also occurred in Jakarta, Bekasi, and Depok,’ he said. The Bekasi City Metropolitan Police are still conducting investigations to uncover AS’s network. ‘In the meantime, we are continuing to develop him,’ Kusumo said. For his actions, AS faces charges under Article 114(2). He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment.