Police Inspector Allegedly Extorted Drug Lords, Promised Protection in Exchange for Bribes

New facts continue to emerge regarding the alleged involvement of the former Head of Narcotics Criminal Investigation at the Kutai Barat Police, Police Inspector Deky Jonathan Sasiang, with the drug lord Ishak’s network in East Kalimantan.

Indonesia’s National Police Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim Polri) revealed that Inspector Deky allegedly requested several payments from Ishak’s network under various pretexts, ranging from handover ceremony requirements to New Year’s Eve celebrations.

This modus operandi was uncovered after investigators arrested Mery Christine, identified as the prospective wife and treasurer of the Ishak syndicate, and Marselus Vernandus, who acted as the intermediary between Ishak and Inspector Deky.

‘Marselus Vernandus acted as the link between Inspector Deky and Mery to introduce her to the suspect Ishak, a drug lord operating in the Kutai Barat region,’ stated the Director of Narcotics Crimes at Bareskrim Polri, Brigadier General Eko Hadi Santoso, on Monday, 18 May 2026.

Interrogations of Marselus revealed a suspected scenario where Inspector Deky requested a staged drug arrest to serve as material for an end-of-year press release. ‘He instructed Marselus to help convey a message to Mery, to be passed to Ishak, to lure a suspect named Fathur into selling more than 1kg of crystal methamphetamine to Ishak, so that Inspector Deky could conduct the arrest and present the evidence for his annual report,’ he said.

Furthermore, Inspector Deky allegedly promised security for Ishak’s illegal business if the large-scale arrest was successful. ‘Inspector Deky also promised that if the arrest was successful, he would guarantee the safety of Ishak’s network to continue distributing narcotics in the Kutai Barat area,’ he added.

Based on the interrogation of Mery Christine, it was revealed that Ishak had visited Inspector Deky’s residence around October or November 2025 to hand over cash. ‘He provided Rp5,000,000 in cash to assist in monitoring Ishak and Mery’s drug business to ensure no interference,’ she stated.

However, the payments did not stop there. A month later, Inspector Deky allegedly requested another sum of Rp50 million from the syndicate, this time under the pretext of expenses for a handover of command ceremony (sertijab).