Police yet to arrest 'big fish'
Police yet to arrest 'big fish'
LIDO, WEST JAVA (JP): City police officers have not been able to arrest any key players in the illegal trafficking and producing of dangerous banned stimulant drugs.
"All of the `big fish' (those playing key roles in the illegal business) fled Jakarta soon after their activities were widely published in the media ," City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Dibyo Widodo told The Jakarta Post in this tourist resort on Saturday.
"How can we net them when the newspapers have already reported details of their activities?" argued Dibyo after attending the graduation day of 107 new sergeants at the Lido State Police School in Sukabumi, over 60 kilometers south of Jakarta.
According to the head of the city police crime investigation directorate, Col. Nurfauzi, a recent police operation conducted following media reports only managed to capture a few of the minor culprits.
"But, we will have to keep a close watch on several suspected nightclubs and discotheques in the city," said Nurfauzi, who accompanied Dibyo on the occasion.
Most of the netted suspects are currently under investigation at the South Jakarta police precinct.
"They are just users and have nothing to do with the drug trafficking network," said head of the Narcotics Division of the crime investigation directorate, Lt. Col. Joko Satryo. "As usual, none of them are willing to give us details on the traffickers," said Joko, who recently joined a police course on drugs in Thailand.
Drug trafficking among young people has reportedly reached an alarming level, with drug-dealing taking place in public places, such as discotheques, nightclubs and around shopping centers.
It is believed the most popular drug among young people at present is ecstasy, an amphetamine-related drug imported from the U.S. and Europe. Ecstasy sells for between Rp 80,000 and Rp 200,000 (US$36 and $90) per pill, depending on its potency and is mostly bought by people from well-to-do families.
The other most favorable drugs in the city's black markets for the lower income users are locally known as Dumolit, Mogadon, Rohipnol, Nipam and Pil BK, priced at around Rp 2,500 per pill.
Unlike the "cheaper" tablets found easily at many small stores on the streets, the pricier ones are only available at certain discotheques, nightclubs and places in the city.
"We have agreed with officers from the city tourism board to intensively monitor the closing hours of all discotheques in the city," said Joko.
"If licenses only allow places to operate until 2 a.m., the owners have to close on time," he said when contacted on the same day at his office in Jakarta.
Joko said many discotheques in the city have violated city regulations by staying open until the morning hours.
Reports stated that drug trafficking in the city mostly takes place at popular entertainment places.
Reports on the growing use of harmful illegal drugs among young people in the city have raised various comments from the public at large. In general, many of them hope the authorities, not only the police, will take immediate action to clean up the streets from any drug trafficking syndicate.
But, said Joko, "In my opinion, the reports might also invite the curiosity of people to find out what and how the effects of ecstasy are."
It's strongly believed that the illegal trafficking activities of the ecstasy pills are under the supervision of an young man, whom the media reports liken him to Pablo Escobar, the notorious and powerful "godfather" of drug dealing activities in Colombia.
"I challenge the press to reveal the name of this young man and his role in this illegal business," said a police officer, who refused to be identified. (bsr)