Four arrested with Ecstasy pills

JAKARTA (JP): West Jakarta Police have arrested four men for alleged involvement in the sale of over 800 Ecstasy pills, a police officer said Wednesday.

Chief of West Jakarta Police Precinct Lt. Col. Bakat Purwanto identified the four only as Dn, Ben and brothers Hd and An.

The men were arrested in a park in Kalideres, West Jakarta, Monday night when they were about to make a deal, he said.

Bakat said that Ben, believed to be the supplier, was scheduled to deliver the pills to An.

Bakat said An and his brother had bought the drug from Ben on six other occasions.

Dn often helped the two brothers sell the drugs on the streets, he added.

Police said Ben confessed to selling the drug at many establishments in the city over the last six months.

According to Bakat, the Ecstasy pills confiscated from Ben were new types.

Five hundred of the pills were of the Red Pajero type, while the remaining pills were of the White Aladdin type, Bakat said.

"These are different from those usually found on people arrested in drug cases. These are in some ways similar to the cheaper Nipam pills," Bakat said.

The two new types of Ecstasy sell for around Rp 7,000 each, much lower than the Rp 40,000 for the regular type.

Possessing and/or trafficking Ecstasy in Indonesia is in violation of the 1992 Health Law. If found guilty, a person could face a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail. (cst)