Imprisoned drug dealer questioned

Imprisoned drug dealer questioned

JAKARTA: Marking a development in an ongoing drug investigation,
the National Police picked up on Tuesday a Nigerian man who had
allegedly arranged the delivery and trafficking of heroin from
Jakarta to Bali.

Chief of detectives for drug crimes at the National Police
Headquarters Sr. Comr. Yontje Mende led a number of officers from
Bali and the city police headquarters to pick up the 19-year-old
Nigerian, identified as Innocence Iwuofor, from the penitentiary.

"We have strong evidence that Iwuofor masterminded drug
trafficking from behind bars by using a cellular phone," Mende
said.

He said that Bali police arrested four Indonesians, identified
as Rahmat, Yadi, Eko and Nurdin, for possession of 1.5 ounces of
heroin in Denpasar last week.

After the four were interrogated, the police raided a drug
transaction at a hotel in Surabaya on Monday and arrested a
suspect identified as Indra Sani. The latter testified that he
had been ordered to dispatch the drug by Iwuofor's girlfriend,
Leila, who is still at large.

Mende said that Leila had long been a target of the police.
Iwuofor was sentenced to a 12-year jail term by Denpasar district
court in 2000 for drug possession. He was then transferred to
Tangerang penintentiary.

The suspect, who refused to answer journalists' questions, was
then taken to the National Police Headquarters for further
interrogation. --JP