Police shoot and kill fleeing drug suspect

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta Police narcotics detectives shot dead a suspected drug dealer, identified as Sutawijaya alias Yakob alias Pepen, on Thursday evening in the Lokasari entertainment center, Tangki subdistrict, West Jakarta.

"We found 1,500 ecstasy pills and 450 grams of shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine) on him," the chief of the city police's narcotics unit, Adj. Sr. Comr. Heru Mulyadi, told a press briefing on Friday.

The street value of the drugs is estimated at around Rp 400 million (US$43,788).

One ecstasy pill sells for between Rp 70,000 and Rp 100,000 in Jakarta, depending on supply and quality. Meanwhile, a gram of shabu-shabu is sold for around Rp 600,000.

Heru explained that the police arrested Sutawijaya at a house near Lokasari. It was in this house that they had found the ecstasy pills and the shabu-shabu.

He said his officers had been watching Sutawijaya for some time as he was well-known as a drug dealer in the area. Heru said that Sutawijaya was also involved in street crime, including petty theft and muggings.

After arresting Sutawijaya, the detectives decided to take him to nearby Lokasari as bait to entrap some of his fellow drug dealers.

Heru said that on the way to Lokasari, Sutawijaya managed to escape the police escort. An officer immediately fired a warning shot, and then shot Sutawijaya in the back and his left leg as failed to stop.

Sutawijaya died instantly and the police sent his body to the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital morgue in Central Jakarta.

Tangki subdistrict, located near Jl. Mangga Besar and Jl. Hayam Wuruk, has become one of the city's best known drug centers. Drug transactions often occur in the entertainment spots on both streets and in the surrounding area.