Berau Police Foil 8 kg Methamphetamine Distribution Network Controlled from Tarakan Prison
The Narcotics Investigation Unit of the Berau Police, East Kalimantan, successfully thwarted the distribution of methamphetamine with total evidence exceeding 8.09 kilograms. During the enforcement operation, officers also apprehended four individuals strongly suspected of being part of a trafficking network.
Berau Police Chief AKB Ridho Tri Putranto disclosed that this major case was uncovered through two separate enforcement operations by the Berau Police Narcotics Unit. “In these two case disclosures, we managed to secure methamphetamine evidence weighing 8.09 kg from four suspects,” Ridho stated, accompanied by Narcotics Unit Head AK Agus Priyanto and Public Relations Head AK Suradi, on Wednesday (17/6).
Ridho explained the first disclosure occurred on Friday (12/6) around 11.40 pm local time. Officers moved on a house on Jalan Gunung Panjang, Gang Rejo, Gunung Panjang Village, Tanjung Redeb District, strongly suspected of being a narcotics storage site. “In that operation, we successfully arrested a woman with the initials NH alias PG. From this suspect, officers seized 6,154 grams, or 6.1 kg, of methamphetamine packaged in a large clear plastic bag,” he detailed.
Following the first arrest, police immediately conducted intensive development. As a result, the next day, Saturday (13/6), officers apprehended three male suspects with the initials JM, RM, and AS. “They were arrested in the SM Tower Hotel area, Jalan Teuku Umar, Karang Ambun Village, Tanjung Redeb. From this arrest, police again seized methamphetamine evidence weighing 1,936 grams, or about 1.9 kg. Thus, the total methamphetamine secured in the two operations reached 8,090 grams, or approximately 8.09 kg,” Ridho asserted.
Based on in-depth investigation and statements from the suspects, the entire methamphetamine supply was apparently controlled by a narcotics convict with the initials MK. MK is currently incarcerated at the Class IIA Penitentiary in Tarakan, North Kalimantan. MK is known to be a convicted felon sentenced to 11 years in prison. Despite being behind bars, he is strongly suspected of still freely controlling the illicit drug trafficking network using a mobile phone, targeting distribution areas in Berau and Bontang. “The coordinator was already inside the prison. We obtained this information from the examination of suspect PG,” Ridho said.
Agus Priyanto assessed that this case disclosure serves as clear evidence that narcotics networks remain highly active even when the controller is detained in Tarakan Prison. He stressed that although coordination between the police and the prison authorities has been running well, the loophole of communication devices inside the prison remains a red mark that must be addressed immediately. “This is proof that drug trafficking can still be controlled from within a prison. The presence of communication devices inside correctional facilities must be a shared concern,” Agus emphasised.
For their actions, the suspects are now charged under Article 114 Paragraph (2) of Law Number 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics, in conjunction with criminal adjustment provisions as stipulated in the applicable laws and regulations. “They face a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, life imprisonment, or even the death penalty,” he concluded.