Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang, Banten | Fri, 12/17/2010
Customs and excise officers have foiled an attempt to smuggle Rp 2.5 billion (US$277,500) worth of liquid methamphetamine through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
Customs office chief Bahaduri Wijayanta said Friday the suspect was a 50-year-old Iranian who had arrived on an Etihad Airways flight from Tehran via Abu Dhabi on Dec. 9.
Terminal II officers became suspicious because the man was carrying 13 cosmetic bottles in his luggage.
“Initial suspicion lead officers to examine the liquid with a narcotest device in the laboratory, and the test results confirmed the bottles contained 2,135 ml of methamphetamine,” Bahaduri said.
“We failed to catch those waiting to receive the drug when investigating the case with the police,” he added.
The suspect, who said he sells clothes in Tehran, said he was asked by a man called Ibrahim to carry the drug to Jakarta. He was promised Rp 100 million if he delivered the methamphetamine to someone in Jakarta.
The suspect, who initially claimed he came to Jakarta for a vacation, accepted the offer to smuggle the drug because he needed money to pay debts.
“The suspect received instruction from the person who hired him to send the drugs through a cell phone,” Bahaduri said.
Since January, customs officers have foiled 59 drug smuggling attempts worth Rp 365 billion and arrested eight Indonesians, nine Malaysians, six Indians, one Nigerian, two Thais, one Mozambiquan, two Cambodians, two Taiwanese, two Chinese, an American, a Singaporean and 26 Iranians as suspects.
The smugglers are all accused of violating a 2009 law on narcotics, which carries a maximum penalty of death.
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