Customs officials foil drug smuggling

Customs officials foil drug smuggling

TANGERANG (JP): Customs and excise officials at Soekarno-Hatta
International Airport foiled on Saturday an attempt to smuggle
over 10,000 ecstasy pills to Thailand, a police officer revealed
on Tuesday.

Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police substation chief Asst. Supt.
Napoleon Bonaparte said 43-year-old Mili Wagimin was making her
way to the gate to board Thai Airlines flight number TG 434-B
when she passed an X-ray checkpoint.

"She managed to go through the first checkpoint, but at the
second point officials detected that she had objects strapped to
her upper belly and lower torso," Napoleon said.

The officials than searched Mili in the interrogation room and
reportedly found packages of colorful ecstasy pills in plastic
bags taped to her body.

A total of 10,101 yellow, pink and white ecstasy pills were
allegedly seized from Mili, who is a housewife living in Tanah
Sereal subdistrict in West Jakarta.

"We suspect that Mili is part of an international drug ring as
her passport is full of immigration stamps from various
countries, such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, China, the
Philippines, Australia and Thailand," Napoleon said.

"Mili admitted to having successfully transported around
30,000 ecstasy pills to Bangkok last month, but she refused to
give details of her boss or the receiver of the drugs.

"We brought her in for questioning and the case is being
processed," he added.

Law No. 22/1997 on narcotics carries a maximum sentence of the
death penalty or life imprisonment and a Rp 1 billion fine for
organized drug-related felonies, and a maximum 15 years in prison
and a Rp 150 million fine for an individual drug offense.
(41/edt)