Nigerians tried for trafficking 4.57kg of heroin in Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): Two Nigerian men were separately indicted at Central Jakarta District Court yesterday for trafficking a total of 4.57 kilograms of heroin.

Emeka Simon Eloka, 34, and Melvin Chiguze Nwezu Attueyi, 24, were indicted for possessing 2.87 kg and 1.7 kg of heroin respectively.

Prosecutor Timbo Pasaribu said Eloka and his accomplice, Christian Chukwebin, were arrested in a rented house on Jl. Kebon Kacang in Tanah Abang on Nov. 7, last year.

"Police found 36 packages of heroin in a bag belonging to the defendant," Pasaribu said.

He said the police had begun to search for the defendant after arresting another Nigerian, Colling Nyibongo, at a hotel in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on the same day.

Nyibongo and Chukwebin were tried separately on Wednesday.

Pasaribu charged Eloka under Article 78 (1.b) of Law No. 22/1997 on narcotics, which carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in jail and a fine of up to Rp 500 million ($62,500).

Presiding judge Zulkifli Lubis adjourned the trial until next week to hear the statement from the defendant's lawyer.

Meanwhile, Attueyi and his two accomplices, a Liberian named Jones Brown and a Thai woman identified as Laor Treekem, were arrested at Permata Harmoni Hotel on Jl. Tanah Abang, prosecutor Adil Wahyu said.

"The defendant was arrested when he met Treekem, who had smuggled the heroin from Bangkok," Adil said.

He said Treekem had couriered the drugs for a man in Bangkok, who told her she would be paid US$2,000 for her services.

The man asked Treekem to meet Brown and Attueyi at the hotel, he said. Treekem and Brown were tried separately in the same court yesterday and last week respectively.

Adil charged the defendant under Article 82 (1.a) of Law No. 22/1997 on narcotics, which carries a maximum punishment of death and a fine of up to Rp 1 billion.

Presiding judge Poerwanto adjourned the trial until next week to hear the statement from the defendant's. (jun)