Huge haul of fake drugs confiscated in Tangerang

TANGERANG (JP): Police detectives seized tens of thousands of counterfeit pills and capsules resembling various popular medicines at a house in the vast Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) real estate complex in Serpong here on Thursday morning.

The detectives, led by Jakarta Police Narcotics Criminal Investigation chief Supt. Abdullah H.S., also seized several tools and machines used to produce the illegal medicines from the two-story house in the Griya Loka area. Several pieces of equipment for packaging the merchandise were also seized at a three-story shop rented by the suspect about a kilometer from the first place.

The confiscation of such a large amount of counterfeit medicine, dubbed by the police as the largest haul ever made in a single raid, might help the public answer their longstanding questions about why so many medicines on the market have ceased to be as effective as they should be.

According to officer Abdullah, his team has not yet had a chance to make a detailed count of all the confiscated medicine.

"There is so much. We haven't had a chance to count it," he said. "But there could be tens of thousand of pills and capsules here."

The counterfeit medicine includes the pain killer Ponstan and several psychotropic drugs such as Rohypnol.

Police identified the sole suspect in the crime as Hendarta Zakaria, 56, who actually lives with his wife and two children in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta.

City Police Criminal Investigation chief Sr. Supt. Harry Montolalu, who arrived at the scene in the afternoon, said Hendarta could be charged with a list of offenses, including brand name forgery, possession or production of psychotropic drugs, and the violation of consumer protection laws.

"This case is very worrying because the drugs are not only distributed in the capital but also throughout the country," Harry said.

When interviewed by reporters, Hendarta admitted that he was familiar with medicines.

"I was a medicine salesman before I decided to start this (business)," Hendarta said at the house. He was talking slowly and avoided eye contact.

"I graduated from a vocational high school for pharmacist assistants in Bandung (West Java)," Hendarta said. "That's where I got the knowledge to formulate medicines."

Hendarta, also identified as Lie Tjoen Hok, said he had been in the business of producing counterfeit medicines for about one year and that he started his illegal trade with Rp 200 million.

He also said that he could produce 50,000 pills and capsules of medicines in seven hours.

Hendarta, however, said that he did not produce drugs everyday and would only operate if he got orders. On average, his sales would reach up to Rp 10 million per day.

Hendarta said that he himself would deliver the counterfeit medicine every two or three weeks to two of his associates in the Jatinegara area of East Jakarta who then sold the counterfeit drugs to several areas in the capital.

The suspect identified his accomplices as Hartono and Sastrawijaya. Police are still searching for the two.

Owners of several small drug stores in Jakarta, including those in the Senen market, Pancoran area in Glodok, and Blok M market often offer their customers the counterfeit medicines along with the original ones with different prices.

Hendarta said he had only been helped by one man, who had already been detained at the Jakarta Police Headquarters.

The suspect claimed that he had been renting the shop at the BSD shopping complex on Jl. Rinjani for Rp 7 million per year since last year. But neighboring shop owners said that Hendarta had rented the place since 1998.

At the shop, the police seized a sophisticated 2.5 meter-long blister pack machine found in a 2.5 meter by 3.5 meter sound- proof room.

Hendarta said he bought the machine from Taiwan.

Several shop owners said that they were surprised to find out that the shop had been used to package counterfeit drugs.

"(Hendarta) never used the front door (of the shop). I saw him bringing some sacks from the back door which I thought contained some flour but I never expected this," a shop owner said.

"I kept saying to my friends that the shop smells like medicines. So it figures," another shop owner said. (jaw)