One luxury car smuggler arrested

JAKARTA (JP): Tanjung Priok Port (KP3) Police detectives in North Jakarta arrested a suspected car smuggler on Tuesday in connection with the seizure of nine illegal luxury cars and 200 spare parts by city traffic police since late January, an officer said on Thursday.

City traffic police chief Col. I. Nyoman Sukesna said the police had also questioned two witnesses on the matter.

"We'll get to the core of this ring ... Which is why I am not releasing the names of the one arrested suspect and two witnesses. There are three other suspects, but we don't have enough (evidence) to arrest them as yet," Nyoman said.

"We found out that the (arrested) suspect had imported at least five containers, beginning in November 1999 to January this year. The container's documents stated that they contained auto parts and engine parts," Nyoman said.

"Instead, the containers, one which measured up to 40 feet, contained used Mercedes cars, used Toyota Land Cruisers, a used Corolla, a Nissan cut in two parts, an Isuzu Panther in parts, forklifts, generators, compressors, dynamos, seats and dashboards."

Nyoman said the cars and the vehicle parts, which were imported from Japan and Malaysia, had been partly sold to three men.

"These three suspects have been using fake car documents," he said.

The officer said that of the cars, police had so far confiscated two red 1988 320 E Mercedes and one 1985 190 E Mercedes; a 1998 Nissan Ranza Turbo; a 1993 Isuzu Panther van; a Nissan minibus without the engine; two white 1997 Land Cruisers; a Silver TG.3 Land Cruiser; and a 1998 Silver Corolla. (ylt)