Officers foil 57 gun smuggling attempts

TANGERANG (JP): Soekarno-Hatta International Airport customs and excise officers have foiled attempts to smuggle 57 various types of guns into the country in the past eight months, an official said on Tuesday.

"They were brought into the country without supporting documents from the National Police and nobody has come here to claim them for months," deputy chief of the customs and excise office Tonny Soenanto said.

The guns were imported from Europe, Korea, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and the United States.

"The people who imported the guns were either locals or foreigners. As the weapons were not claimed, we turned them over to the city police for further investigation," he said.

Among the brands and types of guns confiscated were a Sohters Kit 357, a Baretta M92 FS, a Baretta air soft gun, a Marksman 1010, a Golden Saver 7000, a Chiefs Special M60, a Crossman air gun and a Teckle Maker 45.

In an unrelated development, Tonny said the office also arrested an Angola national, identified as Thomas Daniel, on Jan. 22, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 1.5 kilograms of heroin into the country in 164 black Imodium capsules. Daniel was arrested at the airport shortly after arriving from Bangkok on SQ flight number 164.

"Interpol tipped us off about his arrival and airport officers suspected Daniel as he looked anxious and sweaty. We then put him through the X-ray scanner and detected the capsules in his stomach," Tonny said.

"National Police forensic laboratory technicians ran tests on his urine and extracted the capsules from his stomach. The results were positive," Tonny said.

City Police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman received the case documents from the officials on Tuesday. (41/edt)