Police Drug Trafficking Case: Hedonistic Lifestyle Identified as Root Cause
JAKARTA — Several reports of police officers caught in drug trafficking cases have emerged recently. A lifestyle pursuing pleasure without regard for social norms is considered to be the underlying cause.
Following the scandal of the former Bima City Police Chief, Senior Commissioner Didik Putra Kuncoro, who was arrested with a suitcase full of narcotics, the police institution has again been tarnished by its members committing similar crimes.
The officers in question are the Head of Drug Investigation Unit of North Toraja Police, Senior Commander Arifan Efendi, and Investigator II of the Drug Investigation Unit of North Toraja Police, First Lieutenant N.
They were arrested by the Internal Affairs Division of the South Sulawesi Police Regional Office for protecting drug traffickers in exchange for 10 million rupiah per week.
“The sanctions imposed are, firstly, an ethical sanction classifying the conduct as a reprehensible act, and secondly, an administrative sanction comprising (a) placement in special confinement for 30 days and (b) dismissal without honour as members of the Indonesian National Police,” stated the Head of Internal Affairs Division of the South Sulawesi Police Regional Office, Senior Commissioner Zulham Effendy, in his ruling on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.
Both officers are accused of violating Law Number 35 of 2009 on Narcotics, meaning the case enters the criminal jurisdiction.
The ethical sanction for dismissal is based on Indonesian National Police Regulation Number 7 of 2022 on Professional Code of Conduct and the Police Code of Conduct Commission, with the heaviest penalty being Dismissal Without Honour (PTDH).
Notably, this case came to light less than a month after the Bima City Police Chief case was revealed to the public.
So what motivated law enforcement officials who are supposed to eradicate drug trafficking to instead sustain its circulation?
Sugeng Teguh Santoso, chairman of Indonesia Police Watch (IPW), stated that hedonism is the primary cause behind police involvement in drug trafficking.
The hunger for instant wealth blinds these rogue officers and tarnishes the reputation of the police institution with the allure of money.
“Looking at the pattern and the background, they are the same — it is about greed and hedonism. Greed and hedonism, that is the root cause,” Sugeng told Kompas.com on Thursday, 12 March 2026.
This pattern and motivation appear in all cases, including the Teddy Minahasa case in 2023, the case of the Drug Investigation Unit Head of South Lampung Police, and the case of the Bima City Police Chief.