Trial stars for Dutch drug accused

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

The trial of accused drug smuggler Aijal Marcus alias Max, an Indonesian-born Dutch citizen, began on Tuesday at the Tangerang District Court in Banten.

Prosecutors charged the defendant with violating Article 59 of the Law No 5/1997 on psychotropics. The article carries a maximum penalty of death.

The 44-year old was arrested on April 20 on Jl. Krekot I No. 3C, Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta for smuggling 34,810 ecstasy pills into the country from the Netherlands through the Soekarno- Hatta International Airport.

Prosecutor Faisal Adi, who read out the charge said that Max was the sender and recipient of the pills sent through delivery company DHL in a cardboard box weighing 4.5 kilograms.

"The defendant reported that the box, which he sent before taking a flight for Jakarta, contained documents," he told the panel of judges.

Airport customs and excise officers, however, were suspicious about the box that arrived at the airport. Max also arrived on the same flight.

"The name of the sender was written 'GE Plastic-Plasticlaan 1 Bergen op Zoom Amsterdam' on the box and the recipient was 'RMJ Portier Audio, Jl. Krekot No. 3C Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta'," the prosecutor said.

Faisal said customs officers opened the box and found six plastic bags containing 29,970 ecstasy pills.

Customs officers then conducted tests on the pills which confirmed that they contained psychotropic substances with amphetamine.

In cooperation with airport police, customs officers first arrested Ronaldo at the recipient address. Ronaldo told the officers that the drugs belonged to Max.

Ronaldo, who helped officers arrest Max, was freed because he knew nothing at all about the delivery.

Airport customs and excise officers foiled the second delivery attempt of another 4,840 pills on April 22 from the same sender in Amsterdam to the same address in Jakarta.

Max, who worked as a taxi driver in Amsterdam, had told police that Indonesia was a good market for drugs and that each pill would be sold here for Rp 100,000 (US$9.70).

He bought the pills from a man called Gerald at Twin Peaks Cafi in Amsterdam and expected to gross Rp 3.5 billion from selling the drugs.

Presiding judge Gatot Supramono adjourned the hearing until next Monday to hear witnesses.