Nigerian man nabbed again for heroin possession

Nigerian man nabbed again for heroin possession

JAKARTA (JP): City police detectives found another 250 grams
of heroin on Thursday at the rented house of a Nigerian, who was
arrested earlier this week with 100 grams, an officer said.

Capt. Gusti Ketut Gunawa of the narcotics unit told reporters
on Friday that the first-grade heroin, estimated to have a street
value of Rp 75 million (US$9,150), was found in three soap boxes
hidden inside an instant milk package at the suspect's rented
house in Cilandak, South Jakarta.

The suspect, identified by police as Nigerian Christian
Chinedu, alias John Osagie, was previously arrested on Monday in
a hotel in Central Jakarta.

"He was caught red-handed offering 100 grams of heroin to an
undercover officer," Gusti said.

In Monday's arrest, police also confiscated keys, which had
been claimed by the suspect to be for his house in Nigeria.

During police questioning, Osagie refused to divulge his
temporary address in the country and insisted that he was a poor
traveler, who slept in train stations and other public places,
Gusti said.

"We didn't believe it," Gusti said.

On Thursday afternoon, the officer said, a resident of
Cilandak, who asked for anonymity, informed the police that
Osagie rented a house on Jl. Benda for the past four months.

The caller said he decided to call the police shortly after
seeing Osagie's picture in the local papers.

Police then built up the case by intensively questioning the
foreigner.

Osagie, who insisted on having a lawyer present during the
interrogation, later acknowledged that he had stayed in Cilandak
for six months and could speak bahasa Indonesia.

"We then took him to the rented house in which we later found
the new evidence," Gusti said.

Police believe that Osagie, who was allegedly a member of an
international drug syndicate, has close links with local drug
traders and customers. (emf)