Four foreigners nabbed for drugs
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali
Police have arrested four foreigners -- a New Zealander, a Frenchman, a Brazilian and an Argentinean -- for alleged drug dealing.
Bali Police narcotics head Sr. Adj. Comr. Bambang Sugiarto said police had confiscated 488 grams of hashish, 45.3 grams of cocaine and 0.2 grams of heroin from the men.
The suspects were believed to be involved in a drug ring spanning Thailand, Jakarta and Bali, he said.
"We know that the drug dealers operating in Bali no longer use local people. They (the arrested) traders and users are all foreigners," Bambang told a news conference in Denpasar, Bali.
He said the four were arrested during a week-long operation.
A few days ago, police detectives began monitoring the home of New Zealander Andrew Thomas Bredow, 37, in his rented house on Jl Nakula in Kuta, 15 kilometers south of Denpasar.
As police moved in to raid the house, Bredow allegedly threw two packages of heroin wrapped in straws into his front yard. He was arrested.
From Bredow, police tracked down another suspect, Gerard Dejussieu, a 49-year-old French citizen. He was arrested at a bar in Kuta.
"When we entered the bar, Dejussieu and his five friends were quite shocked. He spontaneously swallowed a small plastic bag containing cocaine," a police officer said.
The police finally confiscated three plastic clip tops (emptied plastic pill containers) containing 1.9 grams of cocaine. Dejussieu was later identified as a suspected drug dealer.
Later, police captured Rogerio Pecanza Paez, a 48-year-old Brazilian, at his rented house in Oberoi in Kuta, where they found 146 grams of hashish under his cupboard. At least 43.4 grams of cocaine and a green ecstasy pill were also discovered.
Paez revealed his network, which also involved Garcia Vieyra Federico, 24, from Argentina.
Bambang said Federico was a professional drug dealer who procured drugs, such as hashish, cocaine and heroin, from Thailand and brought them to Bali via Jakarta.
"One of the detectives had to fight Federico to arrest him. The suspect is also a Ju Jitsu instructor. He also tried to throw away evidence from his hands."
Police seized 301.2 grams of hashish from Federico, he added.
In a separate drug operation, police arrested four Indonesians -- I Nyoman Suamba, Sri Purestini, Samsul Hadi and Sorimuda Nasution.
Some 401 grams of heroin valued at Rp 240 million were seized from Sorimuda.
Last year, Bali police arrested a British man with more than 8,000 ecstasy pills.
At least five foreigners are awaiting execution for drug offenses in other parts of Indonesia, where poor law enforcement, corruption and high demand make for a lucrative market for drug dealers.