Police seek extradition of Garuda pilot from Holland

Police seek extradition of Garuda pilot from Holland

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian police are striving to persuade the
Dutch authorities to extradite the Indonesian pilot arrested
Sunday at Schipol airport for allegedly trying to smuggle 8,000
Ecstasy pills to Jakarta.

"We'll do our best to bring the suspect here to be tried even
though the crime took place in the Netherlands," the head of the
National Police crime investigation directorate, Brig. Gen.
Rusdihardjo, told reporters yesterday.

The police effort is in line with an existing law which
permits an Indonesian court to try a citizen for a crime
committed overseas, said Rusdihardjo.

Although Indonesia and the Netherlands have no extradition
treaty, Rusdihardjo believes that the close relationship between
the two countries could help realize the Indonesian police's
wish.

Following his arrest by the Dutch police, the suspect,
identified as Mohammad Said, 49, a senior pilot of the national
flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, was fired from his job.

The news was announced by Minister of Transportation Haryanto
Dhanutirto yesterday.

According to Garuda records, Said has around 20,000 flying
hours and was one of the carrier's 672 senior pilots, having
served in the company for 25 years.

He was arrested at the Amsterdam airport for allegedly
attempting to conceal 8,000 Ecstasy pills in his clothes shortly
before he flew Garuda's B-747 airplane to Medan and Denpasar in
Indonesia via Paris.

The police examined Said together with a number of Garuda
flight personnel following tips that an international Ecstasy
trafficking syndicate had hired some of the crew for their
operation owing to the privileges enjoyed by the airline staff.

According to the secretary of NCB-Interpol for Indonesia,
Brig. Gen. Ahwil Luthan, the suspect might face a tougher
punishment here than in the Netherlands.

"He might only face a maximum imprisonment of around three
months from a Netherlands court," Ahwil told The Jakarta Post
yesterday.

Although there is no Indonesian law which explicitly bans the
mood-altering stimulant Ecstasy, possessing, smuggling and
trafficking the pills could be considered a breach of Health Law
No. 23/1992, which prohibits possessing, smuggling and
trafficking drugs without a permit. The charges carry a maximum
jail penalty of 15 years and fines of up to Rp 300 million
(US$128,200).

Rusdihardjo suggested the Netherlands police should also allow
Indonesian police to examine the content of the pills allegedly
possessed by the Indonesian citizen at its laboratory in Jakarta.

According to Ahwil, the Indonesian NCB-Interpol have sent a
message to their Dutch counterparts asking the Dutch police to
disclose to Jakarta the preliminary results of their
investigations.

"It's absolutely necessary for us to further investigate the
other members of the syndicate here in Indonesia," said Ahwil.

Following the arrest of the Garuda pilot, the inspection of
all flight crew and attendants at airports will be tightened,
said Rusdihardjo.

"For many years, Garuda's flight crews and attendants had a
very good reputation among the world's commercial airlines," said
the one-star general.

The issue of the alleged role of flight personnel on airplanes
plying Indonesia - Europe routes in the trafficking of Ecstasy
pills to Indonesia has existed for some time.

A 15-year-old girl was quoted by a local paper recently that
she got Ecstasy pills from her boyfriend, who is a flight
attendant.

"It's not impossible that flight personnel of foreign airlines
have done the same illegal business although it's hard for us to
prove it," said Ahwil.

In a visit here last month, Dutch Minister of Health, Welfare
and Sports E. Borst-Eilers suggested that both countries
cooperate in dealing with Ecstasy trafficking.

"We think it's a very bad thing that some people export it
from Amsterdam airport, for instance, to Indonesia. So, the
customs services of Holland and Indonesia are going to work
better together to prevent it," Borst said.

"We've made a serious effort, but apparently it's not enough.
So you have to hit harder," the minister stressed. (bsr)