Three arrested in drug case

JAKARTA (JP): Tanjung Priok Port Police arrested three people, suspected to be drug couriers, for being in possession of eight kilograms of shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine), a senior officer said on Tuesday.

Chief of the port police Adj. Sr. Comr. Sigit Sudarmanto identified the suspects as Hardani, 31, from Batam; M. Andi Yusardes bin Mohammad Yunus, 28, from Pekanbaru; and Nur Afrizal, 39, from Tanjung Pinang, Riau.

The three were passengers on the Sinabung ship which arrived from Batam on Monday morning.

The police confiscated, from the men, eight kilograms of shabu-shabu in two travel bags. The drugs street value is estimated to be about Rp 800 million (US$94,118).

Sigit said the three suspects confessed during a preliminary questioning that they were paid Rp 300,000 each by a man, identified only as Ijat, to deliver the package to a man in Jakarta.

The three were also given the ship fare and promised Rp 1.5 million each if the shabu-shabu reached this man.

"They were told that the man would meet them at the port. We have identified the man. We hope he can help us in the investigation," Sigit said. (emf)