Six arrested with heroin

JAKARTA (JP): Bekasi police arrested six men, including three college students, in Jatiwaringin district for allegedly possessing and using third-grade heroin early yesterday.

Bekasi Police chief, Lt. Col. Adjie Rustam, said police seized a few grams of heroin, commonly known here as Putauw, wrapped in nine packages from the suspects.

"They were arrested in the early morning by patrol officers on the street where they had been loitering every night," Adjie said.

The suspects, aged between 22 and 24, were identified as Erik Laksamana, Yudha Yunawan, Ahmad Mukti, Raikun Purba, Jack Raharja and Ikhwanudin.

The first three were reported to be college students in Jakarta.

According to Adjie, Bekasi police decided to approach the suspects when residents on Jl. Cendrawasih I at the Antelope housing estate in Jatiwaringin asked police to disperse them.

"The officers approached the men because of local residents' complaints," he said.

"The residents did not say that the suspects liked to extort them or what. They just asked the officers to check out the men," he said.

Adjie said officers also confiscated three syringes from the suspects.

"We don't know whether they were also dealers. But so far they are being detained on charges of possessing and using the drugs," he said.

Adjie said, however, that none of the men were under the influence of the drugs when the officers arrested them.

The six suspects were now being detained at the Pondok Gede police subprecinct.

Police were still trying to collect more information from the suspects regarding the drugs they possessed, he said.

The six suspects would be charged under articles 79 and 85 of the 1997 narcotics law for possessing and using narcotics.

They would face a maximum five-year prison sentence and a Rp 100 million (US$20,000) fine. (cst)