Narcotics agency suspects shift in drug of choice
Leony Aurora , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A seven-fold increase in the amount of cocaine confiscated from 2002 to 2003 and a drop in seized heroin and crystal amphetamine, locally called shabu-shabu, indicate a shift in the drug trend, says a top official.
Head of law enforcement at the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) Brig. Gen. Djoko Satriyo said on Wednesday that the police had seized 17,838 grams of cocaine last year, compared to only 2,314 grams in 2002.
Meanwhile, 14,076 grams of heroin and 20,207 grams of shabu- shabu were confiscated, compared to 2002 figures of 20,003 grams and 46,579 grams, respectively.
Cocaine is considered the drug of choice among the upper- middle and upper-classes because of its high price of around Rp 800,000 (US$94.67) per gram.
Satriyo said another indication of the shift in trend was the increase in arrests involving cocaine originating in South American countries, such as Brazil, Colombia and Peru.
Last year's narcotics cases included the discoveries of suitcases filled with cocaine in September and November at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. In addition, a Brazilian national was arrested at the airport in August with 13.4 kg of the illicit substance, while an Italian national was nabbed in December in possession of 5.26 kg of cocaine at Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali.
Satriyo said a careful study was needed to confirm the suspected trend.
David Djaelani Gordon, director of Yayasan Permata Hati Kita treatment and recovery center, said that cocaine caused a different sensation than heroin.
"Cocaine is an upper, while putauw (low-grade heroin) is a downer," he said, and that cocaine made people feel a boost in energy.
The drug was increasingly being used, especially in Jakarta and Bali, he said.
In order to strengthen programs to reduce demand and control supply -- part of the narcotics agency's efforts toward a drug- free Indonesia by 2015 -- the agency has proposed a revision to Law No. 5/1997 on psychotropic substances and Law No. 22/1997 on narcotics.
Satriyo said the existing laws stipulate no minimum sentence for convicted drug users and dealers.
"We propose a minimum imprisonment of two years for users and four years for dealers," he said. The amended bills have been submitted to the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, he added.
The agency is drafting another law to legalize criminal sanctions on those who violate regulations on the procurement of chemical precursors.
Chemical precursors, 23 types of which exist, are legal substances used in the manufacturing and production industries, such as at textile and paint producers and pharmaceutical companies, but which can be made into narcotics.
The agency made the motion after it found precursors in illegal clandestine laboratories, said Satriyo.
At present, chemical precursors are regulated by the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency, but the heaviest sanction against violators who misuse the substance is the revocation of their business license.