Police seize 1.5 tons of Aceh ganja after a tip-off

JAKARTA (JP): City police detectives seized nearly 1.5 tons of Aceh marijuana worth about Rp 3 billion (US$428,571) hidden in 12 sealed oil drums in a single raid early Wednesday morning.

City Police chief of detectives Col. Alex Bambang Riatmodjo said four Achenese had organized delivery of the marijuana-filled oil drums into the capital from Medan, North Sumatra.

The suspects were identified as Muzakkir, 31, M. Husein, 27, Abdurrachman, 30 and Musannah, 31.

They were apprehended by police at 1 a.m. on Wednesday while driving the contraband-laden truck in the Bumi Mas Bogor housing complex in Sawangan, Bogor.

"The drugs were expedited from PT Joeang in Medan, to a company here called PT Emco Utama on Jl. Tanah Merdeka, North Jakarta. We received the information a week ago from an anonymous caller. We've been waiting for this delivery since Tuesday evening," Alex said.

"We first spotted the truck at Kampung Rambutan in East Jakarta. We followed it all the way to Sawangan. That's where we made the arrest."

Muzakkir said the four suspects were promised Rp 250,000 (US$35.70) each for the delivery of each kilogram.

The police invited the media to witness the opening of the sealed iron drums which were hammered open by blacksmiths. As soon as small openings were hammered into the drums, oil spurted out onto some of the journalists' T-shirts and cameras.

When the unexpected discharge stopped, the drums were drenched in thick, black oil. The blacksmiths then pried open the lids and detectives pulled out oil-soaked sacks from the drums.

One of the detectives then cut through a sack, only to find thick plastic covering.

Rectangular brown-taped packages were eventually discovered, but only after the detective cut into two more plastic coverings from the same sack. Reporters and detectives cheered when the detective cut through the brown tape and pulled out the ganja leaves, which were wet from the oil.

Police said the operation was the biggest ganja haul for the past 15 years.

Other ganja-related arrests occurred on Tuesday night when police detectives raided a house in Klender, East Jakarta, and confiscated 4.3 kilograms of marijuana.

The suspects, identified as 23-year-old Abdullah Hamdani and 48-year-old Abdul Rani Yunus, were arrested on Jl. I Gusti Ngurah Rai in Klender.

Police detectives from the Penjaringan Police subprecinct in North Jakarta seized on Oct. 6, 929 kilograms of marijuana, worth about Rp 1.85 billion from four of seven suspected drug dealers.

In late September, city police seized 602 kilograms of marijuana, worth about Rp 1.2 billion, from four of five suspected drug dealers in a single raid.

While in July, city police detectives seized 245 kilograms of marijuana from an Aceh university student who had recently returned from Aceh with two friends.

Heroin

Alex also disclosed that an Indonesian national had been arrested on Oct. 23, in Lahore, Pakistan, for hiding six kilograms of heroin in a flight's baggage section.

Alex identified the woman as Emy Mustika Sari, daughter of businessman Muhari Safaai. She is currently being detained at Lahore's Lakhpat Jail.

"The Lahore police are due to fax me more detailed information on the woman," Alex said. (ylt)