Police captain nabbed for involvement in drug syndicate

YOGYAKARTA (JP): The alleged involvement of a police captain in an Ecstasy syndicate has dealt a heavy blow to the local police command, a senior officer acknowledged Saturday.

Yogyakarta Deputy Police Chief Col. Bani Siswono promised the authorities would take all the necessary measures to uncover the Ecstasy syndicate that involved Capt. Suko Hariyanto.

"We are all devastated, shocked and regretful," he said. "We will do everything to help the military police solve the case."

Suko was arrested last week on charges of illegally possessing 360 Ecstasy tablets that the police had seized from dealers and users in numerous raids.

Yogyakarta military chief Col. A.R. Gaffar said that one of the eight witnesses admitted to interrogators of having bought Ecstasy pills from the captain. This, Gaffar said, suggested that the captain was part of a syndicate.

Suko, a senior detective in Yogyakarta, was arrested in his office in a northern suburb on July 3.

Suko's role was uncovered following an unsuccessful raid on an amusement center to uncover illicit drug dealing. Police found no tablets because the captain had allegedly leaked the planned operations to dealers.

Gaffar said that besides possessing the pills, Suko also admitted to receiving Rp 45 million (US$18,400) from a dealer who sought his protection.

Suko earned Rp 3.5 million from selling Ecstasy, he said.

Yogyakarta Military Police Commander Lt. Col. I Nyoman Wangsawan said a local businessman and a military officer were among the eight people he had summoned.

Captain Suko sprang to prominence when he handled Bernas journalist Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin's murder last year and the arrest of the sole suspect, Dwi Sumaji.

Syafruddin's murder is widely believed to have been linked to his investigative reports on corruption within the Bantul regency government. The police insisted that Sumaji was guilty and had been motivated by learning that Syafruddin had an affair with his wife.

The case is currently being tried.

Moslem intellectual Emha Ainun Najib said in Surabaya Saturday that he believed Captain Suko was involved in the murder of Udin, as Syafruddin was better known.

"From the onset, I openly alleged that Udin's death had to do with his reports on the Ecstasy business in Yogyakarta but everyone considered my theory unfounded," he said, as quoted by Antara.

Emha said he offered his theory to the fact-finding team formed by local journalists and police. He said he had known of an Ecstasy dealing ring involving police officers.

"They closed their ears to my theory and accused me of trying to ruin their investigation," he said. "Now they may begin to realize that my assumption could be true." (23/pan)