Medan cleans up drug scene

MEDAN, North Sumatra: Provincial Police here have arrested 145 people suspected of drug use in a series of raids on discos in the past couple months.

Under the code name Operation Narkoba, the joint-antidrug force caught eight drug users in a disco in the wee hours of Sunday, police chief Brig. Gen. Sutiyono said later on Sunday.

He said 55 people were initially apprehended during the latest raid, but only eight tested positive for drugs.

The two-month operation, however, has not yet been able to capture any drug dealers who managed to escape police raids.

During the operation, police seized 385 kilograms of dried marijuana, 335 marijuana plants, 272 ecstasy pills, 480 envelopes of hashish, 155 grams of shabu-shabu (crystal metamphetamine) and 0.5 grams of heroin, Sutiyono said. (39/edt)