Doyok defends as drug user

JAKARTA (JP): Comedian Doyok Sudharmaji had confessed before police investigators that he was merely a drug user, a city police officer said on Friday.

"We don't have evidence yet to prove that Doyok is a drug trafficker," acting city police spokesman Supt. Alex Mandalika told reporters at his office.

He said city police detectives arrested the comedian on Thursday evening at his house in Lippo Karawaci area, Tangerang, after receiving a tip off from the public about his involvement in drugs.

"The police detectives raided Doyok's house and seized 2.5 grams of shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine) on a dressing table in the house," he said, adding that the police also confiscated paraphernalia used to consume the drug.

The drugs were packed in five small packages, each contained 0.5 of a gram of shabu-shabu.

Alex said the comedian testified that he only owned 0.5 of a gram out of the 2.5 grams of shabu-shabu. "The remaining two grams belonged to his accomplice Rizal Indra Krisna," he said, adding that the comedian also confessed to have obtained the drugs from Rizal.

Rizal was arrested earlier on Thursday, shortly after he left the comedian's house at 2.30 p.m.

A number of fellow comedians, grouped under the traditional "Ketoprak Humor" television show, visited Doyok at City Police headquarters on Friday. They were Tessy, Kadir, Tarzan alias Toto Muryadi and Nurbuat.

Kadir said he was shocked to learn that Doyok was arrested by the police.

"We often drank beers together, therefore I was surprised to find that he was arrested for consuming drugs," he said.

Doyok, who was handed over from the Police Narcotics Unit to the police's detention house on Friday, blamed his arrest on a third party.

"I was trapped," said Doyok, while he was escorted by two police officers to the detention house.(asa)