Two more Iranian men nabbed at airport with drugs

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang | Mon, 12/28/2009 5:36 PM

The Interdiction Task Force at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has arrested two Iranian men smuggling crystal methamphetamine worth Rp 2.1 billion (US$ 210,000) into the country.

Bahaduri Wijayanta, chief of the airport customs office identified the two men as Muhamad Reza Ashabi, 25, who was working as a shoe vendor and Abdullah Haidar, 34, a taxi driver from Tehran.

Both Abdullah and Muhammad Reza were promised US$3000 if they delivered the drug to a contact in Jakarta.

“As of today, we have arrested 28 Iranians for smuggling drugs into the country through the airport this year,” Bahaduri said in a press conference on Monday.

The Interdiction Task Force is a joint effort established at the airport to curb drugs being smuggled into the country. The task force consists of customs and excise officers, the police, the National Narcotic Body (BNN), immigration and quarantine.

The officers found a total 101 capsules in the men’s stomachs, which contained 948 grams of crystal meth.

On December 13, seven Iranian men were also arrested in two separate cases under similar circumstances.

Three men in the first case were identified as Taheri Shahram, 27, Mahdi Moghaddamkouhi Rezaali, 25, and Abbaspour Morteza, 26.

On the same day, officers also detained four other Iranian men identified as Mirzaein Rasoul, 25, Alimoradi Mohsen, 25, Hajebi Shahab, 40 and Goodarzi Ghola Hassan at terminal II E.