NO EXECUTIONS OF DRUGS CONVICTS IN 2017, BUT "SHOOT-AT-SIGHT" UP by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 13, 2018 (Antara) - Indonesia is among the few countries that have the harshest drug laws in the world.

        In 2015, the country had executed 14 drug convicts, mostly foreigners, and four others in July 2016.

         In 2017, there were no executions of drug convicts, but the war on drugs continues, and is even intensified, with this time on the streets.

         The National Anti-Narcotics Agency (BNN) has revealed that in 2017, its officers had shot dead as many as 79 suspects of illegal drug cases for resisting arrests.

        According to BNN Chief Commissioner General Budi Waseso, the agency discovered 46,537 drug cases and 27 money laundering cases from narcotics crimes from January to December last year.

         "Of the total cases, we have detained 58,365 suspects in narcotics cases and 34 suspects in money laundering cases," Budi Waseso, or Buwas as he popularly known, stated.

         Such an achievement shows the authority's seriousness in fighting drug crimes. It has also proved that "shoot-at-sight" move for perpetrators of drug crimes is not a joke but the agency's legal commitment to be hard and stern against drugs syndicates.

        According to the data of the BNN, the police, and customs office, the authorities have seized evidences, including marijuana, amounting to 151,22 tons, and 2,940,748 ecstasy pills, during Jan to Dec period.

        "In drug-related money laundering cases, we have evidences of cars, properties, jewelry, cash, and Rp105 billion (US$7.75 million) in bank accounts," Buwas revealed.

        In the war against drugs, Buwas has ordered his officers to take assertive action against drug traffickers.

        "Legal enforcement against illicit drugs in Indonesia has not been strong so far. Hence, Indonesia has become a target of 11 illicit drug supplying countries," Waseso noted.

        Stern measures, such as shooting drug traffickers on the spot, could be effective in ending drug smuggling and trafficking networks in Indonesia.

         Since he took over as the BNN head, he has armed his officers with pistols.

        A similar view was voiced by Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, affirming that no compromises will be made in the fight against drugs.

        He reiterated his stance to ensure that places operating as hubs for the circulation of illegal drugs will be shut down.

        "This should serve as a warning for everyone. Jakarta will continue its fight against drugs," the governor noted at the City Hall recently.

          In fact, the Jakarta Metropolitan Police have shot dead a total of 21 drug traffickers in 2017, mainly because their resisted arrests.

           "The Metro Jaya Provincial Police have taken several firm steps against drug traffickers," Chief of the Jakarta Police Inspector General Idham Azis stated on Dec 30, 2017.

          The Jakarta Police handled 6,087 cases of drug trafficking and abuse in 2017, up 14 percent from 5,333 cases in 2016.

            The North Sumatra Police shot dead 13 drug trafficking suspects; the Lampung Police, seven suspects; the National Police's Criminal Investigation Directorate, six suspects; the East Java Police, four suspects; the Riau Police, two suspects; and one suspect each by the South Sumatra Police, West Kalimantan Police, and South Sulawesi Police.

       Despite the harsh measures, drug smuggling activities are still rampant in Indonesia, particularly from Malaysia.

          Recently, BNN had aborted an attempt by an international syndicate to smuggle 40.23 kilograms of methamphetamine from Malaysia into Aceh by sea.

          Inspector General Arman Depari, BNN's deputy for eradication, informed newsmen in Aceh on Jan 12, 2018, that apart from confiscating the meth as evidence, BNN had also arrested four suspects known by their initials as AM, JN, SN, and HR during the operation.

           "The BNN team has successfully uncovered the narcotic crime by the Malaysia-Aceh international network by sea. Four suspects have been arrested with 40 bags of meth, having a total weight of 40,230 kilograms, from Penang as evidence," he remarked.

         Earlier, officers of the Jakarta Police's Crime Investigation Directorate shot dead a Malaysian national identified by his initials as LTW in the Pantai Indah Kapuk area of North Jakarta for drug trafficking.

         The Jakarta Police had received a tip-off about a Malaysian citizen, identified by his initials as PG, who was involved in drug offenses at the Boutique Hotel, Tomang area, West Jakarta, on Jan 3, 2018.

           The police detained PG and found 10 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine in a room on the ninth floor of the Boutique Hotel.

            PG claimed that the drugs belonged to LTW, who was later arrested in a parking area of the Pullman Central Park Hotel located in Tanjung Duren, West Jakarta, on Jan 3, 2018.

         On the same day (Jan 3), North Sumatra Police shot dead three suspected drug traffickers of an international syndicate and seized 15 kilograms of crystal meth.

         To prevent drug smuggling, the Indonesian and Malaysian Police have established cooperation. 
   Recently, the two countries' police busted an international drug syndicate based in Malaysia following the arrest of two Indonesians and a Malaysian in November 2017.

        Penang Deputy Police Chief Roslee Chik noted in a press conference on Nov 22, 2017, that the Malaysian police had seized 24.7 kilograms of methamphetamine and 8,400 ecstasy pills, worth 2.06 million Malaysian ringgit ($497.225).

        Chik noted that the success in uncovering the syndicate was the outcome of cooperation between the Malaysian and the Indonesian Police.

            Police Attaché of the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur Senior Commissioner Chaidir noted that such cooperation was crucial for eradicating the trafficking of drugs.

            "The cooperation is aimed at protecting Indonesian and Malaysian citizens as well as global society. Cooperation among law enforcement institutions must be built to eradicate the global distribution of illegal drugs," he added.

        In addition to the harsh measures, the BNN, during 2017, had rehabilitated 1,523 drug abusers both at rehabilitation centers and in penitentiaries. ***2***
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EDITED BY INE/H-YH

(T.F001/A/BESSR/A/Yosep) 13-01-2018