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)