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