Man arrested with 38,000 ecstasy pills
JAKARTA (JP): City police detectives arrested a 35-year-old former coffin maker on Monday for allegedly possessing a total of 38,172 ecstasy pills worth over Rp 1.7 billion (US$234,500).
It is believed to be the country's single largest ecstasy seizure. In 1996, television actress Zarima was arrested with 29,677 ecstasy pills.
The suspect, identified as Khwan Tjiang, alias Atjiang, alias Benny Sembiring, a resident of Kalideres, West Jakarta, claimed to not know who really owned the drugs.
Police said the pills were discovered in a suitcase in an upscale house in Taman Surya III housing complex in Cengkareng, West Jakarta.
Tjiang repeatedly pleaded his innocence to the police. He said he had been hired by a man called Bang (brother) Lubis to watch the house and package the pills.
"It's Bang Lubis who asked me to package the pills and I don't know his address," an officer quoted Tjiang as saying.
Jakarta Police detectives chief Col. Alex Bambang Riatmodjo said on Tuesday he and his men did not know the identity of the true owner of the drugs.
"We'll build the case and hope that we can identify this Lubis soon," Alex said, adding that Tjiang was still being questioned.
He said that as in many cases of this size, it could be difficult to arrest the real owner of the drugs because he or she would probably have connections with certain powerful people in the country.
"It has always been difficult for us. Besides that, the members of these well-organized drugs syndicates are smart enough to keep their links with each other to a minimum," Alex said.
He said that Tjiang was only able to contact Lubis through his cellular phone, adding that police had unsuccessfully attempted to contact Lubis through his phone.
The arrest of Tjiang followed a week-long surveillance of the house after police received a tip-off from an anonymous caller on Monday last week.
The unidentified caller said a man riding a motorcycle was seen around an empty house in the complex and his activities seemed suspicious.
Snack packets
Tjiang said he was only hired by Lubis to place the pills into empty snack packets.
He said he used empty Cheetos bags for "small orders" of 2,500 pills and empty Happytos bags for orders of between 5,000 and 10,000 pills.
The packets were then sealed using a special machine, which was also confiscated during the raid.
Tjiang said he filled between 20 and 30 orders a day for which he received between Rp 250,000 and Rp 300,000 per week from Bang Lubis.
"Ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers always picked up the packages and delivered the pills," he said.
Ojek drivers were also used by Lubis to deliver messages to Tjiang.
"I've been doing this job for three weeks, since Bang Lubis hired me to guard the house in Taman Surya," Tjiang, who claimed to only have an elementary school education, said.
Police said Lubis employed more than one ojek driver at the housing complex to deliver the packages of ecstasy to various entertainment spots.
Before raiding the house, several police detectives went undercover as ojek drivers to learn more about the operation.
"When we spoke with the ojek drivers, the clues all led to Tjiang, who often came to the empty house and left the house after the ojek drivers departed," one of the detectives said.
Tjiang said the pills were distributed to certain discotheques in West and North Jakarta, but claimed he did not know the names of the entertainment spots.
The pills -- claimed to be of the highest-quality -- were sold for Rp 40,000 each.
With or without Lubis, Tjiang would face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to Rp 300 million for possessing and distributing the pills.(emf)