Four arrested in smuggling attempt

JAKARTA (JP): Tanjung Priok Port (KP3) Police arrested four suspects for trying to smuggle 2,600 cans of Coca Cola and Sprite and 600 bottles of Bacardi liquor into Jakarta, via a ship from Batam and another from Tanjung Pinang, in the past two days, KP3 Police chief said on Tuesday.

Lt. Col. Edward Aritonang who refused to identify the suspects, said the four had failed to smuggle the products which had been shipped from Singapore, into the country.

"There were no permits of any sort from the Ministry of Health's directorate general for food and drug supervision, nor was there a receipt to prove that the goods were imported goods," Aritonang told The Jakarta Post.

"I suspect that the cans of Coca-Cola and Sprite, which came along with the liquor in the Sinabung ship from Batam and the Bukit Siguntang ship from Tanjung Pinang, are past their expiration dates. Why else would they bring the goods here?"

In a separate development, Aritonang said that in another smuggling attempt, five people had been arrested on Saturday for trying to ship at least 1,500 Samsung video cassette recorders out of the country. (ylt)