Police raid discotheques, illegal gambling dens
Police raid discotheques, illegal gambling dens
JAKARTA (JP): More than 200 people, including five Armed
Forces personnel, were arrested in raids on nightspots and
illicit gambling dens in West and Central Jakarta over the
weekend.
The police confiscated Rp 23.4 million (US$9,693) and
gambling paraphernalia including pin ball machines from the
illegal gambling houses. And an FN45 gun loaded with seven
bullets, 35 marijuana cigarettes, 39 Ecstasy pills and five
capsules believed to contain Ecstasy powder, from the night
spots.
The operations, code-named Walet and Kilat Jaya, involved 260
police officers from various units, including the Mobile
Brigades, detectives, and Speed Reaction Units.
Operation Walet started at 9:00 p.m. Friday when 105 officers
busted three illicit gambling dens on Jl. Mangga Besar Raya, Jl.
Gajah Mada, and the Raja Mas discotheque on Jl. Hayam Wuruk in
West Jakarta.
The team confiscated some Rp 10 million from the 171 gamblers
arrested at the five locations, and seized gambling
paraphernalia.
Unofficial sources said some of those arrested had nothing to
do with the illegal businesses. They had just stopped by the
gambling dens.
The Kilat Jaya Operation started at around midnight Friday,
with 155 officers simultaneously busting the Lido Oriental
Executive, Kaliber, Stardust, and the Puja Siera discotheques in
West and Central Jakarta.
The leader of the operation, Capt. A.H. Gani, said the
operation was to curb the circulation of drugs at entertainment
centers.
The operation ended at dawn Saturday with 45 people, including
15 women and five military personnel, arrested.
The Lido discotheque, on the sixth floor of the Ciputra Hotel,
West Jakarta, was the first nightspot busted in the operation.
Eleven of the 45 people arrested were Lido customers,
allegedly found possessing drugs and hand-rolled marijuana
cigarettes. They were taken to City Police headquarters for
further questioning.
Four of the five military personnel arrested by the police
were at the Lido. The FN45 hand-gun was seized from one of the
four.
Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso has vowed to
take stern action against military personnel caught frequenting
and working for entertainment centers.
A waiter at Lido complained about the raid, saying it could
inflict financial losses on the waiters and waitresses.
"Many people left their tables during the police search. If
they are taken away by the officers or if they leave to escape
the raid, who will pay for what they ordered? We, the waiters and
waitresses have to take responsibility for the bills," the waiter
said.
Among the Lido customers arrested were a Taiwanese couple
found with four Ecstasy pills.
Other foreigners were arrested during the next raid on Kaliber
discotheque on Jl. Kali Besar Barat, West Jakarta.
A Japanese man and a Singaporean woman were arrested for
allegedly possessing three marijuana cigarettes.
The couple denied it, saying; "What is this? How can the
police say the cigarettes were ours just because they found them
on the floor near our table?," the Japanese man said.
At least two men and two women were arrested in the raid on
Stardust discotheque on Jl. Pintu Besar Selatan. The raid on Puja
Siera Pub and Discotheque on Jl. Gajah Mada downtown resulted in
the arrest of a woman who tried to hide drugs in her underwear.
Saturday's operations were the follow up of a recent series of
nightspot busts by the military in its efforts to curb the spread
of drugs.
Owners of nightspots have complained about the raids, saying
they deter visitors and hurt their businesses. (04)