Police arrest three with 63,000 sedative pills

JAKARTA (JP): Police confiscated on Wednesday over 63,000 sedative pills from three people, one of them a mother of six children, in a raid in Central Jakarta, an officer said on Thursday.

City police detectives chief Col. Alex Bambang Riatmodjo identified the three suspects as Suryati, 46, a housewife and resident of Jl. Kota Paris, Rasudin, alias Selong, alias Item, 43, a minivan driver and resident of Jl. Kembang, and Irwan, 19, a resident of Jl. Kembang, all from the same Kwitang subdistrict in Central Jakarta.

"It's a one-day crackdown. It took us five hours to complete the operation," Alex told reporters in his office.

The confiscated drugs -- 3,100 nipam pills, 1,250 rohypnol pills, 22,500 BK pills, 8,000 magadon pills, 19,350 lexotan pills and 9,000 rivotril pills -- were worth about Rp 10 million (US$1,300).

The three were arrested on Wednesday, following a tip-off from the public that drug transactions, involving school students, often occurred in the Kwitang neighborhood.

"Our detectives moved and traced the whereabouts of people selling drugs in the area immediately after receiving the reports, and then planned the crackdown," Alex said.

Police first arrested Irwan, who had been seen offering pills to students, he said.

"Irwan admitted that he had got the pills from Suryati, who also sells cookies, and Rasudin.

"The three people are neighbors and happen to come from the same hometown of Maros in South Sulawesi," he said.

In preliminary questioning, they admitted that the pills were sold to teenagers for between Rp 7,500 to Rp 8,000 per pack. Each pack contains 10 pills.

Rasudin, who allegedly initiated the business and recruited the other two, said he got the pills from a man he identified only as Lalun.

"Lalun dropped the pills at my house last month and said that he would pick up the money later this month," Rasudin, a father of three, said.

He said the money he had obtained from selling drugs had been used to cover his family's living expenses.

Suryati, whose husband is jobless and ill, said her cookie business could not meet her family's food and clothing needs.

She said she was fascinated with the way Rasudin convinced her that: "Selling the pills is as hot as selling peanuts to school boys."

Covering her face from TV cameras, Suryati said she deeply regretted joining the business and disregarding the severe punishment if she was caught.

"It's not good, I'm ashamed," Suryati told reporters.

The three could be charged with Article 60 of Law No.5/1997 on Psychotropic Substances, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail or a fine of up to Rp 200 million. (emf)