Police catch 58 foreign drug smugglers since 1999

JAKARTA (JP): National Police headquarters have recorded a total of 58 foreigners who have attempted to smuggle narcotics and psychotropic substances into the country, beginning 1999 till today, an officer said on Thursday.

"Out of those 58, only nine dossiers have been submitted to the Indonesian courts. Eleven suspects died after being shot by Police, while two others died of overdoses," Col. Saleh Saaf of the National Police information unit told The Jakarta Post.

Of the drug cases involving the 58 foreigners, at least 20 stand out, in matters of the amount carried and how the drugs were transported.

Suphaporn Phanluang, alias Nang, a 31-year-old Thai was arrested on February 17 last year at Terminal D of the Soekarno- Hatta International Airport, carrying 4.25 kilograms of pure heroin. Suphaporn was found guilty and sentenced by the Tangerang District Court on Sept. 16 last year to 10 years in jail. She was also ordered to pay a Rp 15 million (US$1,890) fine.

In another case, Police arrested a 53-year-old Swiss national on May 12 last year, for planting six marijuana trees at the Griya Lomo housing complex, on Jl. Tiga Putra in Meunyung, Cinere, Bogor.

Five days later, on May 17, city police detectives found a 37- year-old Swazi national, identified as Chinedu Donsin Ochia, dead at the Pasar Baru Hotel in Central Jakarta. He was believed to have been killed by one of 53 heroin-filled capsules, that cracked open inside his digestive system.

Police arrested Liberian Bernard Okeke alias Souare Mohamed Lamine, alias Yousuf Usman, 27, and Guinean Mohammed Lowaito, alias Delega, alias Jimmy Laga, 28, for possession of 403 grams of cocaine, at the Pintu Besar Hotel on Jl. Pintu Besar Selatan 42, West Jakarta, on June 23 last year.

On August 26 last year, West Nusa Tenggara Police arrested Niels Christian Rahbek, alias Nicholas Paul Rabaut, 36, from Denmark, for planting 291 kg of marijuana in the backyard of his home in the Taman Sejahtera housing complex on Jl. Koperasi Ampenan, West Lombok.

On July 29 last year, National Police detectives arrested two Nepalese nationals identified as Nar Bahadur Tamang, 59 and Bala Tamang, 30, for carrying 554 gm of morphine. On Jan. 25 this year, the Tangerang District Court sentenced the two, to death for drug trafficking. It was revealed that the two defendants had swallowed a total of 73 capsules of imodium which were packed with heroin.

National Police detectives also arrested two other Nepalese nationals, identified as Til Bahadur Bhandari, 24, and Bir Bahadur Gurung, 32, for possession of 202 packets of heroin, at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, on July 30 last year.

Police arrested Khanchana Thiangtum, a 28-year-old Thai national, for attempting to smuggle 1.75 kg of heroin into the country at the Soekarno-Hatta airport, on Aug. 31 last year.

Manikram Ramchand and Vijay Manikram Mahbubani, alias Vicky, both identified as Indian nationals, were arrested for possession of 30 boxes of a psychotropic substance called Librax, and two boxes of another psychotropic substance called Antivena, on Jl. Tanah Abang Bukit in Central Jakarta, on April 7 last year.

On the same day, police arrested Dutch national Yuk Tan Sun, alias John, and Singaporean Yoe Bert, for possession of 806 ecstasy tablets, nine kilograms of material to make the tablets, and 4.74 kg of shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine), at the Juanda Apartments in Central Jakarta.

Police kicked off this year with the shooting of five drug suppliers of an international drug ring, identified as Semeiu Jhola Oladi Pupo and Muueeden Boca Rinwa of Nigeria; Freeman Charles Siafa of Liberia; Ebraheem Mohammed of Togo; and Mouza Sulaiman Domala of the Ivory Coast, on Jan. 12.

On Jan. 27, police shot to death five other Africans, two identified only as Emesi and Oscar, who had in their possession nearly four kg of heroin, hidden in their rooms on Jl. Garuda No. 62, Central Jakarta. (ylt)