Briton arrested with big ecstasy cache
Briton arrested with big ecstasy cache
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali
A British national was arrested by Bali police on Friday for
allegedly possessing at least 8,175 ecstasy pills worth more than
Rp 2 billion (US$225,000).
Steve Turner, 68, was caught on Thursday by officers of the
Bali police's narcotics division, the province's Post Office and
the local Customs and Excise Office, Bali Police chief Maj. Gen.
Budi Setyawan said.
Speaking at a news conference in the provincial capital of
Denpasar, he said the illegal drugs were sent to Bali from London
in three packages via the British postal service.
Turner is suspected of being part of a larger Southeast Asian
drug ring. "This is the most important arrest for the biggest
drug find," Budi said.
He said the suspect had so far been living in the area of Uma
Alas Kangin in the western outskirts of Denpasar.
Turner had intended to sell the pills to people celebrating
the new year in Bali, Budi said.
The Bali Police chief said the arrest was made when Turner was
trying to collect two packages containing 5,995 ecstasy pills
from the Post Office, which had been sent from London by a Paul
Harris and an R. Turner.
"On Jan. 2, 2003 at around 15.40 p.m. local time, the suspect
came to the Bali Post Office to reclaim the packages. An officer
there immediately directed him to on-duty officials of the
Customs and Excise office, to whom he was supposed to pay all
necessary taxes for the packages," he said.
When the suspect completed the tax payment, the Customs and
Excise officers asked the suspect to open the packages for
routine inspections.
It turned out that the first package contained 2,997 ecstasy
pills inside a shampoo bottle and the second one contained two
shirts and 2,958 ecstasy pills. The officers immediately notified
police.
Police found 2,220 more ecstasy pills during a further search
at the suspect's house. The illicit pills were stashed above the
ceiling of the building.
"The pills has the picture of a butterfly, or a heart, or a
deer on their surface. We believed that these pills are of
premium quality," a narcotic's detective said.
He said ecstasy was sold for between Rp 150,000 and Rp 300,000
per pill. "So the price of these confiscated pills may range from
Rp 1.2 billion to Rp 2.5 billion," the officer added.
In June, Bali Police arrested an Indonesian with more than
4,000 pills.
The government has clamped down on drug trafficking in recent
years by imposing severe penalties for drug use and smuggling.
At least five foreigners, mostly Africans, have been sentenced
to death and are awaiting execution for drug offenses.
Indonesia has increasingly been used as a transit point by
international drug syndicates and there is also a growing
domestic market.
Poor law enforcement, corruption and high demand make
Indonesia a lucrative location for drug producers.
Ecstasy and amphetamine use has spread rapidly throughout
Southeast Asia in recent years.
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali
A British national was arrested by Bali police on Friday for
allegedly possessing at least 8,175 ecstasy pills worth more than
Rp 2 billion (US$225,000).
Steve Turner, 68, was caught on Thursday by officers of the
Bali police's narcotics division, the province's Post Office and
the local Customs and Excise Office, Bali Police chief Maj. Gen.
Budi Setyawan said.
Speaking at a news conference in the provincial capital of
Denpasar, he said the illegal drugs were sent to Bali from London
in three packages via the British postal service.
Turner is suspected of being part of a larger Southeast Asian
drug ring. "This is the most important arrest for the biggest
drug find," Budi said.
He said the suspect had so far been living in the area of Uma
Alas Kangin in the western outskirts of Denpasar.
Turner had intended to sell the pills to people celebrating
the new year in Bali, Budi said.
The Bali Police chief said the arrest was made when Turner was
trying to collect two packages containing 5,995 ecstasy pills
from the Post Office, which had been sent from London by a Paul
Harris and an R. Turner.
"On Jan. 2, 2003 at around 15.40 p.m. local time, the suspect
came to the Bali Post Office to reclaim the packages. An officer
there immediately directed him to on-duty officials of the
Customs and Excise office, to whom he was supposed to pay all
necessary taxes for the packages," he said.
When the suspect completed the tax payment, the Customs and
Excise officers asked the suspect to open the packages for
routine inspections.
It turned out that the first package contained 2,997 ecstasy
pills inside a shampoo bottle and the second one contained two
shirts and 2,958 ecstasy pills. The officers immediately notified
police.
Police found 2,220 more ecstasy pills during a further search
at the suspect's house. The illicit pills were stashed above the
ceiling of the building.
"The pills has the picture of a butterfly, or a heart, or a
deer on their surface. We believed that these pills are of
premium quality," a narcotic's detective said.
He said ecstasy was sold for between Rp 150,000 and Rp 300,000
per pill. "So the price of these confiscated pills may range from
Rp 1.2 billion to Rp 2.5 billion," the officer added.
In June, Bali Police arrested an Indonesian with more than
4,000 pills.
The government has clamped down on drug trafficking in recent
years by imposing severe penalties for drug use and smuggling.
At least five foreigners, mostly Africans, have been sentenced
to death and are awaiting execution for drug offenses.
Indonesia has increasingly been used as a transit point by
international drug syndicates and there is also a growing
domestic market.
Poor law enforcement, corruption and high demand make
Indonesia a lucrative location for drug producers.
Ecstasy and amphetamine use has spread rapidly throughout
Southeast Asia in recent years.