Four alleged drug traffickers stand trial

TANGERANG, West Java (JP): Four people, including one woman, were indicted yesterday at Tangerang District Court for allegedly trafficking 60,778 Ecstasy pills.

State Prosecutor Muhammad Daud accused RC, alias Iwan, 45, of cooperating with three accomplices -- JAI, RS, and OS (the woman) -- in the smuggling of Ecstasy pills into Indonesia from the Netherlands last April.

The other three were tried separately in the same court.

According to the indictment, in mid-April, RC was assigned by RS, 41, and OS, 31, to leave for the Netherlands to buy Ecstasy pills, which they planned to smuggle into Indonesia. RC was promised Rp 1,500 in profits per pill.

"They planned to sell those pills in Jakarta, Bandung, Medan and Surabaya," Muhammad told the court, presided over by Judge Ratna.

On April 20, RC received 35,000 Dutch gilders (US$20,500) from RS and left for the Netherlands to meet a man named Fredy in Amsterdam from whom RC bought 60,778 Ecstasy pills worth 30,000 gilders, the indictment said.

"Those pills were then packed in four boxes and stuffed into a suitcase, which was later brought to Indonesia on a GA 089055 Garuda flight," Muhammad said.

JAI, alias Yanto, 30, an employee of PT. Garuda Indonesia, who was already waiting in Sukarno-Hatta International Airport, was supposed to 'take care' of the suitcase when it arrived from the Netherlands.

"But JAI was too scared to take the suitcase out of the airport because he was not on duty that day. He told RS and OS to do the job instead," Muhammad said.

However, when RS and OS came to get the suitcase, it had already been placed at the Lost and Found counter.

"They failed to get the suitcase out. They were arrested instead at Ibis Hotel Arcadia in Central Jakarta," Muhammad said.

Prosecutor Muhammad charged all the defendants with Article 23 of the 1992 Health Law, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment and a Rp 300 million (US$128,500) fine.

Yesterday's trial was the third Ecstasy case being heard by the Tangerang District Court.

The first Ecstasy court case, currently being heard at the same court, is ELW's. She was arrested on March 27 with more than 9,000 pills at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. The second hearing is of AF, alias Afon. He was arrested on March 26 with 711 pills in his car in the parking lot at Soekarno-Hatta airport. Both defendants are being charged under Article 23 of the 1992 Health Law. (28/26)