Police identify five alleged foreign drug suppliers

Police identify five alleged foreign drug suppliers

JAKARTA (JP): City police have established the identities of
five foreigners shot dead during a drug raid at a rented house in
South Jakarta on Wednesday evening.

Jakarta Police detectives chief Col. Alex Bambang Riatmodjo
identified the deceased on Thursday 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.

The deceased, suspected members of an international drug
syndicate, have been taken to state-run Cipto Mangunkusumo
General Hospital for postmortem examinations.

As of Thursday evening the bodies had not been examined
because doctors were still awaiting permission to perform the
postmortems.

As part of their operation, police also detained seven
Indonesians believed to be local members of the drug syndicate.

The suspects were identified as Merika Franola, Deni Setya
Maharwan, Ranni Andriani, Nelly Fitria Ariani, Rosyati, Lukman
Hadi Subarkat and Andi Sukandi.

Merika is reported to be the wife of Mouza Sulaiman Domala.

Alex said the seven were arrested at Soekarno-Hatta
International Airport about five hours before the shooting at the
house on Jl. Cempaka Dua Dalam in Cipete, South Jakarta.

Police seized 1.6 kilograms of heroin and four kilograms of
cocaine from Merika; six kilograms of cocaine and US$3,000 in
cash from Ranni; and five kilograms of cocaine and $3,000 in cash
from Deni, he said.

Two of the suspects, Ranni and Deni, were attempting to board
a plane to London via Hong Kong at the time of their arrest.

"Of the seven suspects, four have already admitted to their
roles (in the gang)," Alex said.

Merika, alias Rika, alias Cunbe Fransiska, ordered where the
drugs were to be delivered by the other suspects, who acted as
couriers for the syndicate, he said.

Deni, alias Rapi Mohamad Najib, a former subdistrict head in
Rancagon, Cianjur, West Java, successfully smuggled drugs from
Thailand and Pakistan into Jakarta five times from April to
December last year. He also smuggled a shipment of drugs from
Jakarta to London on Dec. 5, Alex said.

Ranni, alias Melisa Aprilia, made at least three trips since
last September for the syndicate, carrying drugs from Thailand
and Pakistan into Jakarta, Alex said.

Notorious

The officer, who led the raid on the house in Cipete, said the
five suspects killed by officers had been wanted by police for
the past three years on suspicion of being the largest suppliers
of cocaine and heroin to Jakarta.

He added that the raid was simply a follow-up to the arrest of
the seven suspects at the international airport.

The operation at the airport involved at least 60 detectives
led by city police detective Lt. Col. Abdullah, who is head of
the narcotics unit.

Abdullah said he divided his team into 10 groups, each led by
his best captains, with the groups deployed throughout the
airport.

"I had teams spread out at the arrivals gate, the departures
gate, the toilets, immigration, everywhere. Some others were
posted along alternative routes out of the airport because we
know that these criminals are damn smart ... They're ghosts," he
said.

He said he and his team had been trailing the gang members for
some time, particularly Merika and her husband Mouza Sulaiman.

During the operation at the airport, Abdullah said police
momentarily lost sight of Merika, Deni and Ranni.

"One minute Rika was there, then gone. So were the two
couriers.

"Merika just had sunglasses on, no cap or anything to hide her
face," he said.

Abdullah said he was amazed when later he saw several
immigration officers approach and begin talking with Merika "as
if she was some kind of queen".

The police learned that Deni had already boarded a Cathay
Pacific flight and Ranni was preparing to board the same flight.

"The plane was heading to London via Hong Kong. Nothing was
detected in their baggage, but we knew the drugs were there,"
Abdullah said.

Passport

Accompanied by a number of airport officers, Abdullah asked a
stewardess on the flight to ask Deni to exit the plane.

"Deni got off, thinking that this was about a counterfeit
passport. I told him that being Indonesian, he could not travel
with a Malaysian passport. He just nodded and followed me. In a
separate room, I told him about the drugs and he nodded again."

Abdullah said police then quickly arrested Ranni, Merika and
the other four suspects.

Alex said Merika and her husband, who went by several aliases,
including Tajudin, Tony and Jemmy, attempted to transport several
kilograms of heroin from Indonesia to Pakistan last year using an
Indonesian woman as a courier.

The woman, Elizabeth Ruth Carolina, 26, was arrested at
Karachi International Airport, he said.

"Once Elizabeth was caught, the couple drove to Nepal and then
to New Delhi, where they took a flight back to Indonesia," Alex
said.

At Jakarta Police Headquarters, Merika spoke to journalists
about her husband: "He taught me many things. Several times I had
gone to Argentina and Brazil as a tourist. I made the right
contacts and learned how to get drugs in and out safely."

She also said she did not regret her actions. "I'll accept
responsibility for everything I've done."

Also at police headquarters, Deni said he was brought into the
business by Merika, who was a distant cousin.

He said he needed money to repay Rp 50 million he owed to
friends who helped him win the election to become Rancagon
subdistrict head.

"Merika immediately lent me Rp 20 million to pay off part of
my debts. I felt indebted to her.

"My wife and relatives don't know anything ... I always told
them I had a diamond business abroad," Deni said before breaking
into tears. (bsr/ylt/06)