City Police increasingly tough on drug traffickers

JAKARTA (JP): The City Police will speed up investigations into 11 alleged drug users and dealers arrested this month, and hand over dossiers on them to the Prosecutor's Office soon, a spokesman said.

City Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said Saturday his office was always serious in its handling of drug cases and would not hesitate to take anybody caught with drugs to court.

"The public must know that those found guilty of breaking laws, especially the ones on psychotropic drugs and narcotics, will face a tough punishment," he said.

People must know that they can be taken to court for either using or dealing drugs, or even just for being witnesses who have failed to report their findings to the police, he said.

Article 65 of 1997 Psychotropic Law No.5, says people found guilty of not reporting illegal drug use or possession to police will face a maximum one year imprisonment and/or a Rp 20 million (US$5,714) fine.

Those found guilty of possessing, using or trafficking drugs will face between four years and 15 years imprisonment, and fines of between Rp 150 million and Rp 750 million.

Aritonang said the 11 were arrested between Oct. 2 and Oct. 21.

"They were arrested with heroin, marijuana and psychotropic drugs in their possession," he said.

Seven of the 11 suspects are facing charges relating to heroin.

They are Rai Pahlawan, 18, Anton Budi, 18, Samara Rasmayanti, 25, Fajar Cahyono, 25, Antoni, 27, Poltak Simatupang, 27, and Wimar Pratama, 24.

Four -- Dedi Sabar, 29, Ridwan, 40, Afiandi, 25, and Abdul Rahman, 28 -- were arrested in connection with marijuana.

One man, Fery, 29, was arrested in connection with barbiturate-type Nipam pills.

Aritonang said Fery was arrested on Oct. 2 with 1,000 strips of Nipam pills.

He said the police had confiscated at least 1,502 grams of marijuana, 17 packs of heroin and 10,000 Nipam pills from the 11 suspects.

Injections

Aritonang said his office had also arrested two women for allegedly providing amphetamine injections for drug addicts in their houses in South Jakarta.

Aritonang said Jer, 52, and Sur, 46, were arrested Wednesday night with at least 150 syringes and 23 bottles of amphetamine in their possession.

He said the women charged customers about Rp 20,000 (US$5.60) per injection.

"They began their businesses by offering free injections to some youths in their neighborhood," he said.

Jer admitted during questioning that she had sold heroin to youths for sometime before switching to the amphetamine injection business, he said.

Jer, a grandmother of four, also admitted that dozens of drug addicts came to her house on Jl. Benda in Kebayoran Baru for the injections.

It was still not clear where the women got the amphetamines.

Police said that Jer had been arrested before for drug dealing.

She is believed to be a drug user herself.

Sur who lives near Jer on Jl. Petogogan in Kebayoran Baru helped Jer in the business.

"I only helped Jer find customers. Jer owned the business because she had the capital," Sur was quoted by a police officer as saying.

Jer paid Sur Rp 5,000 for each injection.

In a related development, police arrested two alleged drug users Friday night at a discotheque in West Jakarta.

Aritonang said a total of eight marijuana cigarettes had been found in their possession.

The two, identified as Andi, 22 and Elisa, 22, were arrested during routine police raids on nightspots in the early hours of Saturday, he said.

The arrests at a discotheque proved that some nightspots were not serious about keeping their venues free of drugs, he said.

"There is an indication that some discotheques are still being used as a favorite places for drug users and dealers to enjoy or sell the drugs," he said.

"That also indicates that the managements of the discotheques have failed to keep their business properties clean from drugs or people involved with drugs," he said.

He called on the managements of nightspots to improve their handling of such matters and to cooperate more with the authorities, especially in their efforts to eliminate drugs.

"Police raids on nightspots are not to ruin their businesses or disturb the customers. The raids were established to help reduce the sale of drugs," he said. (cst)