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)