Foreigners arrested over psychotropic substances

Foreigners arrested over psychotropic substances

JAKARTA (JP): Customs officers at Soekarno-Hatta International
Airport have arrested two foreigners for attempting to smuggle
157,640 pills and 3,008 vials of medicine containing psychotropic
substances into the country.

Head of the airport's customs and excise office Jody
Koesmendro told reporters on Tuesday that the arrests were made
on Sunday.

He identified the two suspected smugglers as Pakistani
national Muhammad Aslam, 32, and Sri Lankan national Muhammad
Ismail, 35.

The two suspects, Jody said, had just disembarked from Garuda
Airlines flight GA-859 from Hong Kong via Singapore which landed
at the airport at 9:45 p.m. on Sunday.

"The two were firstly arrested for their suspicious behavior.
Using an X-ray detector, our officials later found the drugs
inside two blue travel bags owned by the suspects," he explained.

During preliminary questioning, the two admitted their
wrongdoing without presenting any problems to the airport
investigators, he said.

According to Jody, the seizure of the illegal drugs was based
on a tip-off from an intelligence report.

He, however, refused to explain further.

Separately, National Police deputy chief of narcotics crime
detectives Col. Wilhelmus Laturette said police were unable to
estimate the price of the seized substances.

"We're still collecting information and are on the lookout for
their friends who are due to arrive here soon," Wilhelmus told
The Jakarta Post.

The confiscated drugs included Librak tablets for gastric
problems, which Wilhelmus said also contained a certain amount of
psychotropic substances.

According to Article 61, of Law No. 5/1997 on Psychotropic
Substances, the maximum sentence for carrying such drugs is 10
years imprisonment and a fine of Rp 300 million (US$40,000).

The smuggling of illegal medicines into the country has been
growing in the past few months as many people are struggling to
get cheaper medicines in this time of economic crisis.

A health ministry official warned people in Jakarta on Monday
to carefully purchase medicines since he believed that many bogus
medicines were flooding stores here.

On Tuesday, a drug store attendant at the busy Chinese drug
store complex in Pancoran, West Jakarta, showed the Post an
original and a low-quality version of a Chinese medicine used for
stimulating the appetite.

Both types of pill came in a plastic bottle which was in a
cardboard box, and uneasy for people to spot the difference.

The attendant was offering the original for Rp 35,000, while
the low-quality pills were Rp 25,000.

"The expensive ones are genuine, while the cheaper ones are of
lower quality, or possibly bogus," he said.

There was no registration number on either the box or bottle.

Meanwhile, director general of customs and excise at the
Ministry of Finance Permana Agung said there was a growing trend
of smuggling psychotropic drugs via airports or seaports into the
country, based on orders from hospitals, particularly those
located in Greater Jakarta.

Such drugs are produced abroad and are difficult to find in
the market.

"The indication is based on our investigation and we
cooperated with the police to uncover the operation," he told
Antara on Tuesday.

Permana also said his office had also coordinated with the
directorate general for food and medicine control at the Ministry
of Health, which had the detailed information on the circulation
of medicines in the country. (41/ylt/ind/bsr)