Police shoot dead drug dealer

JAKARTA: South Jakarta Police shot dead on Wednesday morning a suspected drug dealer near the Lenteng Agung train station in South Jakarta, as the man was trying to escape.

A South Jakarta Police detective said Tarmizi, 27, had been in custody since Monday.

"We were using him as bait to trap a major drug dealer. But, as we were closing in on the drug boss -- who seemed to be aware of the trap -- Tarmizi took off and ignored warning shots. We had no choice but to bring him down," the detective said.

Tarmizi died at the scene, shot twice in the back.

Police confiscated five kilograms of marijuana from the botched undercover deal with the drug boss. -- JP