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)