Drug suspect's arrest tip of the iceberg in Bali's drug battle
By I Wayan Juniartha
KUTA, Bali (JP): Chief of the Denpasar Police detectives unit Commissioner Cahyo Budi could hardly believe his eyes when he saw what was on a table in the corner of the room.
Five different sized pressing machines -- one electric and the rest hand-powered -- several items for grinding, dozens of small bottles containing coloring agents and several kilograms of white powder in a plastic container.
"Gentlemen, I believe we have just found a small-scale ecstasy factory here," Cahyo, with a wide grin on his face, said to his men.
It was around 2:30 a.m last Saturday -- the air was cold outside but the detectives were warm with the glow of their discovery. They had accomplished something they wished to do for years: bringing in one of Bali's biggest alleged drug dealers.
And the police had every right to smile. They had uncovered for the first time the existence of a drug factory in Bali, a sign that it has already become a place for producers of illegal substances, not only consumers.
In the adjacent room they found a small safety box, 90 grams of shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine), 200 ecstasy pills, two grams of dried marijuana, 2.8 grams of hashish and drug-using paraphernalia. A hand grenade was also found in the search.
Both rooms were on the second floor of an inconspicuous electronic goods store. The owner of the store was Isaac Thayeb, a soft-spoken 47-year-old man who has been on the police's most wanted list for years.
The raid had its beginnings a few hours earlier at midnight on Friday, when Cahyo learned that his men had arrested Udin Syaeffuddin, 34, alleged to be one of Isaac Thayeb's most-trusted couriers. Police said they found 50 grams of shabu-shabu in his pocket, which Syaeffuddin claimed belonged to Isaac Thayeb.
Based on this information, Cahyo stationed several plainclothes detectives outside the store. Several other detectives were assigned to desk jobs at headquarters to put together the documents needed to make the arrest.
In 1996 the police arrested Isaac with more than 20,000 ecstasy pills in a bag. He spent 14 months in jail but police allege he continued drug dealing after his release.
Several months ago the police in Tabanan, some 14 kilometers west of Kuta, had intercepted two drug couriers with at least one kilogram of shabu-shabu hidden in their luxury BMW car. It turned out that the car belonged to Isaac Thayeb, and the couriers claimed that the drug was Isaac's.
"We wanted to tie Isaac Thayeb to that case, but the prosecutor and the judge said that there wasn't enough evidence to do that," he said.
A couple of weeks ago detectives tried to arrest Isaac in a famous club in Kuta. They were certain Isaac possessed an illegal drug but he allegedly outmaneuvered them by throwing it away.
Elusive
His elusiveness had not only angered the detectives, but also put them in a vulnerable position. Several detectives have had to clarify their failure in making a solid case against him, both to the internal affairs division and to a team of high-ranking officers sent from the National Police HQ in Jakarta.
Things got worse when rumors spread that Isaac and certain high-ranking officers were on "friendly" terms.
One of the rumor victims was Bali Police narcotics division chief Senior Commissioner I Wayan Suwena.
"It was said that I received a house and a car as a gift from Isaac. And that I am a frequent guest at his parties. Even though an investigation panel cleared me from those accusations, it still makes me mad every time I remember that rumor," Suwena said bitterly.
On Saturday detectives waited patiently outside the store while Cahyo worked to seal every legal loophole.
"The commandant wouldn't let us enter the store also because he had spotted a surveillance camera implanted right above the store's front door," one detective said. "Whoever inside would be able to see us approaching, and they would have a chance to destroy the evidence. So we are waiting for them to come out instead."
They didn't have to wait for long. Around 2 a.m. Isaac Thayeb walked out the front door and was arrested. The officers allegedly found eight grams of shabu-shabu inside his pocket.
They then escorted Isaac back into his store and asked him to witness the search, which was also watched by two civilians from the neighborhood community, several uniformed internal affairs officers and officers from "Unit 6" (police intelligence).
Appearing calm -- he offered cold beers to the officers -- Isaac claimed that the drug wasn't his, or that he forgot, or that he didn't know anything about it.
At 5 a.m. the police completed their search, sealed the store and escorted Isaac to Denpasar Police Headquarters, where he was placed under the tightest security.
The following day another search of the store was conducted and police allegedly found 15 .22 caliber bullets hidden inside a table. Inside the small safety box they allegedly found 155 grams of shabu-shabu, 119 grams of hashish, 372 ecstasy pills and 3.9 grams of heroin.
It was 7 a.m. A weary Cahyo and his deputy First Inspector Roy Sihombing had been dozing off for quite a while on a cheap brown sofa in Cahyo's room at the Denpasar Police headquarters. I Wayan Suwena looked at his men for a moment but knew there was no time for complacency.
"We destroyed his organization, found his factory and nailed him for good, but Isaac is just one of this island's seven biggest drug bosses. We still have a long way to go, boys," he said.