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)