Indonesia foils narcotics smuggling from Malaysia

Antara News, Sunday, July 25, 2010 05:48 WIB

Banda Aceh, Aceh (ANTARA News)- Indonesian customs officers at Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport here foiled the smuggling of 158 grams of "Shabu-Shabu" from Malaysia on Friday.

"Besides the Methamphetamine drug, we also seize bank notes totaling Rp200 million from the suspect," Head of investigation division of the Aceh province`s customs office Edy Safutra said.

Speaking to newsmen here Saturday, Safutra said his men arrested a suspect, identified as HBS, 26.

The six packs of Methamphetamine drug were found inside a plastic bottle of liquid soap owned by the suspect, he said.

HBS himself was resident of Syiah Kuala sub-district, Banda Aceh. He arrived here from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur by Air Asia, Safutra said.

The airport`s customs officers suspected HBS of concealing drugs after thoroughly checking his bag.

The on-duty officers successfully identified covered packs of "Shabu-Shabu" that the suspect put inside a plastic bottle, he said.

"We have referred this case to the police," he said.

The suspect said the Shabu-Shabu did not belong to him but it was owned by someone in Malaysia only identified as D. The drug package was then given to an Aceh resident only identified as M, he said.

"We are cross-checking his confession," Edy Safutra said adding that HBS could be jailed for 15 years if found guilty.

Due to its geographical position, the Aceh province is vulnerable to trans-national drug trafficking activities.

"There are a lot of vulnerable smuggling gates in Aceh. But the trans-national smuggling activities through the Aceh waters are much riskier than through air," Adjunct Sen.Comms Heru Sukanto said.

This chief of Aceh provincial police`s anti-drug directorate said the Aceh waters could be used by drug traffickers due to the Malacca Strait`s busy sea-lane.

The Aceh province`s eastern and northern coastal areas were also vulnerable to the overseas Methamphetamine drug traffickers, he said.

"Aceh has lots of estuaries of rivers. In Idi, East Aceh district, alone there are about 300 estuaries of rivers," he said.

Heru Sukanto said the drugs smuggled into Aceh by international syndicates were dominantly from such countries as Malaysia, Thailand, as well as certain African and Middle Eastern countries.

"The way the drug traffickers smuggle is sometimes uneasy to detect," he said adding that the drug traffickers used poor local residents as their couriers.

The Aceh police got difficulties in crashing the drug trafficking rings because their masterminds lived abroad so that they were untouched, he said.

The arrested couriers did not even know the masterminds. Therefore the Aceh police would meet with those from national police for talks about a possible cooperation with neighbors` police, he said.