Mother, son arrested in Tangerang over drugs

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Ten drug suspects, including a mother and son, were rounded up separately by police here on Wednesday and another suspect was arrested earlier at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport for allegedly transporting 17 kilograms of marijuana from Banda Aceh.

Tangerang Police chief Comr. Harry Prastowo said on Thursday that Maesaroh, 46, and her son, Farid, 24, were arrested during a police raid on her house in Dongkel village, Cipondoh Makmur subdistrict, in the Cipondoh district of Tangerang.

Police found seven packets of shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine) ready to sell for Rp 100,000 each and a syringe.

"I was just helping my son by serving his customers who came to buy the drug when he wasn't at home," the 46-year-old mother told the police.

She said that Farid sold drugs to support the family as Farid's elder brother, who used to run the business, died from an overdose last month.

"Several angry residents watching the arrest of Maesaroh and her son tried to attack them as they believed that the suspects had caused unrest among the parents in the neighborhood," said chief of detectives Insp. Kustanto, who led the team making the arrests.

He said that based on the confession of Maesaroh and Farid, police managed to arrest two other suspects, identified as Dody, 30, and Maulana, 29.

In another case, five people were also nabbed for allegedly trafficking marijuana. They are Maulana, 30, Sudirman, 26, Chaidir, 24, Edi Setiawan, 30 and Safuan, 20.

Earlier on Thursday, Jusuf Indarto, the chief customs and excise officer at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, said that M. Suhendro Ilyas, 20, a passenger on board Seulawah Air flight AD-601, was arrested on Monday upon arriving from Banda Aceh, Aceh Nanggroe Darussalam.

The officers who examined his baggage found 17 kilograms of marijuana in 16 plastic bags.