Foreign students netted with marijuana

Foreign students netted with marijuana

JAKARTA (JP): South Jakarta Police officers arrested three
foreign teenagers and their local friend for possession of
several grams of marijuana on Saturday, an officer said.

Sr. Insp. Achmad Alwi, chief of the police precinct
detectives, said that the four young men were netted during a
routine predawn police operation on the street of Jl. Pasar
Jum'at.

"They were riding a taxi," Alwi said.

Interviewed by The Jakarta Post at the precinct, the three
youths identified themselves, by showing their student cards, as
Lucky Christian Wardhana Schild, 17, a student of the Australian
International School on Jl. Jatimurni in South Jakarta, Dennis
Sach Lagies, 17, and Timur Saraqoelu, 19, both students of the
Istambul International Community School in Ankara, Turkey.

Dennis and Timur said they were here for two-week vacation and
about to fly home on Wednesday.

Lucky is Swiss, Timur is British, and Dennis is German.

The three identified their local friend as Aldi, who they said
was released by the police shortly after the arrest.

But officer Alwi said that Aldi is still detained at the
precinct.

The detective said that the first package of marijuana wrapped
in a paper was obtained from Lucky and several other grams -- in
the form of cigarette rolls -- were seized from Dennis.

According to Alwi, Timur and Aldi could be charged also as
suspects in the drug case since they knew of the drug possession
but did not report the case to the police as required by
Indonesian law.

So far, he added, the police have not yet determined the
status of the two students since the precinct will send the case
to the Jakarta Police headquarters due to the nationalities of
the suspects.

"Any case in Greater Jakarta Area involving foreigners should
be handled by the City Police headquarters," he said.

Dennis said that he and his two friends went to Sarinah Plaza
building (on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta) after attending a
party called "Pall Mall Cruising and Shaking Party" at the Taman
Ria Senayan entertainment Park in Central Jakarta, on Friday
night.

"We went for meals at McDonalds Sarinah (at the Plaza)," he
told the Post, adding that Lucky also had an appointment with his
friend, Aldi, at the same place.

After having their meals at the 24-hour fast food restaurant,
the four teenagers drove to Lucky's house in Country Woods estate
on Jl. Kompas in Ciputat, South Jakarta, said Dennis.

"But, we were arrested while passing through a street in South
Jakarta," Dennis said.

Lucky admitted to the several grams of marijuana seized by the
police from him. He, however, refused to disclose from whom he
got the drug.

"I found it on a floor in the Broadcast Cafe, next to the Hard
Rock cafe (at the Sarinah Plaza). I kept it in my trouser, and I
intended to show up to my friends after we arrived home to make
them surprised," he said.

He added that he never thought that it would be a serious
matter at the time.

Dennis, however, denied the police charges against him.

"The marijuana was found under the taxi seat, meaning that
anybody might have possessed it," he said.

The young German was visited on Saturday by a German Embassy
employee, Hans Ch. Hammann.

Mr. Hammann said the Embassy would provide a lawyer to
accompany the suspect during the police investigation, if the
family of the suspect requested.

"But, we will report first the matter to his family and to the
Embassy," he said. (asa)