Police complete 330 dossiers on drug suspects
Police complete 330 dossiers on drug suspects
JAKARTA (JP): City Police completed at least 333 dossiers of
suspects involved in drug cases in the period between January and
early September this year, spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said
yesterday.
The dossiers have been handed over to the Prosecutor's Office
by the City Police Headquarters, the East, West, South, North and
Central Jakarta police precincts, as well as the Depok and
Tangerang police precincts, he said.
Out of the 333 dossiers, approximately 253 relate to suspects
involved in narcotics. "The remaining 80 dossiers are on suspects
involved in psychotropic drugs ranging from expensive drugs like
Ecstasy to cheap drugs like Nipam and Rohypnol," Aritonang said.
Aritonang said the number of dossiers proved that the police
were serious in handling the drug problem.
"The police are not only raiding night spots and drug abusers
but also taking the cases and suspects to court" he said.
Aritonang, however, declined to give the total number of drug
cases or suspects handled by the police during that period.
He just said suspects involved in narcotics, most of which
were marijuana, heroin and third-grade heroin locally called
putauw, were accused of violating the 1976 Narcotics Law Number 9
on either using, dealing and/or producing narcotics.
"If found guilty, they will face a maximum penalty of death or
20 years imprisonment and a Rp 15 million (US$5,000) fine as
well," he said.
The suspects who were involved in psychotropic drugs were
accused of violating the 1997 Psychotropic Law Number 5 on either
using, possessing, dealing and/or producing the drugs, he said.
"If found guilty, they will face from four years to life time
imprisonment or the death penalty, and between Rp 20 million and
Rp 750 million in fine as well," Aritonang said.
Data shows that the police have confiscated at least 715,980
grams of marijuana, 315,785 grams of heroin, 320 grams of
morphine and 2,000 Ecstasy pills during the first three months of
this year alone.
The data also showed that the police have so far confiscated
at least 5 million of the barbiturate-type Nipam pills and
arrested two of several alleged masterminds behind the production
and sale of Nipam in Java.
He said that the evidence was confiscated both during routine
raids on night spots and in arrests on drug dealers and users.
Aritonang said that the confiscated evidence could be
destroyed either by the police or the Prosecutor's Office.
The police often have to destroy evidence before a case is
tried, he said. "We can't keep smuggled garlic for too long
because the smell is very bad. Sometimes we can't keep the
evidence due to the high cost of storage."
"The police must obtain permission from the Prosecutor's
Office if they destroy the evidence," Aritonang said. (cst)