Customs and Border Agencies Foil Cannabis Smuggling Attempt at Skouw Border Post
An attempt to smuggle Class I narcotics in the form of cannabis was successfully thwarted thanks to the synergy between Jayapura Customs and Excise, the Administrator of the Skouw State Border Post (PLBN), the Skouw Police Sub-sector, and the PLBN Skouw Border Security Task Force. Officers found approximately 16.6 grams of cannabis suspected to be intended for distribution using a dead drop method in the Skouw PLBN area, Mosso Village, Muara Tami District, Jayapura City, on Saturday.
The enforcement action began when Jayapura Customs officers were conducting routine supervision and service at PLBN Skouw. On that day, activity in the border area was quite busy as it coincided with market day, with the number of cross-border travellers reaching around 1,600 people. At around 09:20 WIT, a PLBN Skouw cleaner named Wihelmus discovered several suspicious packages in a planted area on the pavement near the border gate. The packages consisted of one container holding several packets and a number of similar packets located nearby.
Based on initial observation, the packets were suspected to contain cannabis. The discovery was then reported to the cleaner’s supervisor and forwarded to Jayapura Customs officers for further examination. At around 10:45 WIT, the found items were handed over to Jayapura Customs officers. The examination was conducted jointly by Jayapura Customs, the Administrator of PLBN Skouw, and the Skouw Police Sub-sector. From the examination results, officers confirmed that the packages contained Class I narcotics in the form of cannabis with a total weight of approximately 16.6 grams.
After the examination, officers also conducted a re-check and sweep of the area around the discovery site to ensure there were no other similar items in the border area. Based on initial investigation, the narcotics are suspected to have been distributed using a dead drop method, which is a method of narcotics distribution by leaving the goods at a specific location known only to the sender and recipient, so that no direct handover occurs between the perpetrators. Subsequently, the cannabis evidence was handed over to the Skouw Police Sub-sector for further legal proceedings. The act is suspected of violating Law Number 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics.
“The success of this disclosure demonstrates the importance of inter-agency synergy and the vigilance of all elements serving in the border area,” said the Head of the Jayapura Customs and Excise Office, Fungki Awaludin, in a statement on Wednesday. Jayapura Customs, together with stakeholders, he continued, will continue to strengthen supervision to prevent the entry and circulation of narcotics through the country’s border areas. With this enforcement action, Jayapura Customs affirms its commitment to safeguarding the border area from the threat of narcotics distribution and supporting law enforcement efforts to protect the public from the impacts of narcotics abuse.