Police foil drug smuggling attempt

Police foil drug smuggling attempt

TANGERANG (JP): Tangerang Police foiled on Thursday night
a drug smuggling attempt by a suspected member of an
international drug trafficking syndicate, an official said on
Friday.

Tangerang Police chief Lt. Col. Pudji Hartanto said police
officers confiscated two kilograms of shabu-shabu (crystal
metamphetamine) worth hundreds of millions of rupiah from the
suspect. Three passports were also seized.

Tangerang Police chief Lt. Col. Pudji Hartanto identified the
suspect only as Michael, 35, of Taiwan.

The smuggling attempt was uncovered when Soekarno-Hatta
International Airport customs officers became suspicious about a
package arriving from Hong Kong. It was addressed to a woman,
Eva, at an apartment in Rasuna Said, South Jakarta.

When X-raying the package, officers found two kilograms of
shabu-shabu in the package.

Both airport police chief Capt. Titik Valentine and Second Lt.
Kristanto immediately went to Eva's residence to ask about the
package.

Eva strongly denied that the package belonged to her and told
the two officers that it belonged to Michael, who was staying in
Astika Hotel in Mangga Besar, West Jakarta.

"We've questioned Michael, Eva and Neli, one of the suspect's
friends," Pudji said.

He said it was believed the three were involved in drug
smuggling into the country, adding that the operation covers Hong
Kong, the Philippines and other ASEAN countries. (41/ivy)