Police hope to add more heroin to their haul
Police hope to add more heroin to their haul
JAKARTA (JP): Police believe that three men, arrested here
last week for possession of 29 kilograms of high-grade heroin,
have more of the drug stashed at an undisclosed location.
"We've found strong indications that the three men are hiding
a huge size of heroin somewhere in this country which we don't
know yet," head of the National Police Crime Investigation
Directorate, Brig. Gen. Rusdihardjo, said yesterday.
Rusdihardjo told reporters that the three had not yet made any
sales of the drug.
"According to information we have... there are no indications
that they have passed on the drugs to other hands," he said.
Rusdihardjo refused to explain the estimated size or location
of the heroin reputed to still be unaccounted for.
According to the general, the information was obtained by
police during investigation prior to the arrest of the three
suspects, believed to be members of an international drug
syndicate, at the five-star Hotel Indonesia in Central Jakarta
last week.
The arrested are a Malaysian, a Thai and a man from Bekasi.
The confiscated heroin has an estimated worth of Rp 58 billion
(US$26.97 million).
The total value of the heroin made the bust the largest heroin
seizure in the history of the country.
The suspects are identified as Tham Tuck Yin, 29, a Malaysian
national, Sae Lim Iaw, 50, a Thai national, and Freddy, also
known as A Ting, 44, from Bekasi.
The three could face the death sentence if convicted.
The confiscated heroin, packed in 60 bags, has a purity grade
of between 95 and 97 percent. It is believed to have been
smuggled into the country by boat through Belawan, North Sumatra,
from Phuket, a famous tourist resort in Thailand, by A Tjai in
January.
Golden Triangle
Police said that the heroin originated from the Golden
Triangle, the region that straddles the corners of Thailand,
Myanmmar and Laos.
Rusdihardjo said yesterday that police have tightened security
controls across the Aceh-Medan-Jakarta links since the disclosure
of the operation of an international drug syndicate in the city.
He also pledged to fight all persons found to be involved with
drug trafficking, regardless of rank or importance.
"Whatever his rank, we'll try to nab him," he said, "because
the number of drug addicts here has shown a significant increase
in the past few years and Indonesia has become a potential market
for international drug traffickers."
Therefore, "it's absolutely wrong if one still says that our
country is only a transit point for international drug
traffickers," he added.
"The evidence is the current growing number of drug addicts,"
Rusdihardjo said but gave no further explanation. (bsr)