Police arrest suspects, drugs still sold
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The City police uncovered 160 drug cases and arrested 191 suspected drug users and dealers in Greater Jakarta from Feb. 24 to March 22.
Of the suspects, 113 were categorized as drug dealers. However, none of the cases of these suspects, five of whom are college students, have reached the courts.
The police also seized 7,418.6 grams of marijuana, 382.7 grams of heroin, 5,596.5 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 3,464 ecstasy pills and 845 barbiturate pills over this period.
Adj. Sr. Comr. Abdullah, the deputy chief of detectives for the Jakarta Police, said during a press conference on Monday the police considered three of these cases as being the most important.
The first concerns Obi Jadu Christopher Chidozie, a Nigerian who was arrested at the Aston Hotel in Central Jakarta on March 2. He was arrested with 1,110 grams of liquid heroin, 71.5 grams of brown heroin, 20.3 grams of white heroin and 49.5 grams of other drugs.
"We consider the arrest a success because our officers managed to seize the evidence and the criminal, who is an expatriate," he said.
The second main case was the arrest of Sutrisno Karjo Usodo, alias Nick, on March 11, along with his wife Elly Roth. The police seized four grams of crystal methamphetamine from the couple.
Nick earlier had been sentenced to 12 years in jail by the South Jakarta District Court after being found guilty of possession of drugs with an intent to sell. He had been arrested on May 2, 2000, in possession of 590 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 1,863 ecstasy pills, four grams of marijuana, an FN 45 gun and seven bullets.
He escaped from Salemba Penitentiary on Jan. 19, 2002.
The third main case involves Malaysian national Roje Juan Linggam, who was arrested by customs and excise officials and police officers at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on March 12.
The police seized 4,500 grams of crystal methamphetamine which the suspect allegedly was attempting to smuggle into Jakarta from China. The drugs were discovered hidden inside decorative lamps.
The head of the city police's narcotics unit, Sr. Adj. Comr. Carlo B. Tewu, said drug use by Jakartans had reached dangerous levels.
"The target of our next operation will be users and dealers in every penitentiary across Greater Jakarta, state offices and other institutions such as schools and colleges," he said.
According to the officer, the operation at schools and universities will have three stages -- prevention, punishment and rehabilitation.
Despite the arrests made during this latest anti-narcotics operation, there are still areas of the city where drugs remain easily obtainable.
In Pondok Aren, Tangerang, buying marijuana is almost as easy as buying candy at a kiosk.
"At least five marijuana dealers operate freely here. For just Rp 5,000 (50 US cents) you can buy a baggie of marijuana," Nico, an unemployed 21-year-old local resident, told The Jakarta Post.
"Each baggie is enough to make three marijuana cigarettes. If you pay Rp 20,000, the dealer will give you a discount by letting you grab a handful," said Nico, who has been smoking marijuana for seven years.