DEA examines seized drug labs

JAKARTA: Officers from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) examined on Friday clandestine drug laboratories in Cipondoh, Tangerang. The laboratories were seized by the Indonesian Police this month following the arrest of Ang Kiem Soei alias Tommy Wijaya, owner of the laboratories which manufacture ecstasy pills in the thousands.

DEA is working with the police to fight narcotics and psychotropic substances supply, trafficking and distribution.

The National Narcotics Body (BNN), assisted by the police detectives, had earlier seized around 8,400 ecstasy pills from Ang Kiem's first laboratory, which had a production capacity of 150,000 pills per day, along with other illicit chemicals used in the production.

"These pills are in extremely high demand in the capital," BNN Chief Comr. Nurfaizi told reporters earlier.

Ang Kiem, alias Anche Tahir alias Kim Ho alias Tommy Wijaya, has been pursued by narcotics detectives since 1998 and holds a Dutch passport and an Indonesian identity card reportedly issued in Irian Jaya. -- JP