Lion Air airline employees help smuggle methamphetamine and ecstasy

Due to the role of airline officers, methamphetamine and ecstasy were taken on flights without scanning the goods.

KOMPAS/NORBERTUS ARYA DWIANGGA MARTIAR

The Deputy Director of Narcotics Crimes at Bareskrim, Commissioner Arie Ardian, provided information regarding the disclosure of drug trafficking by law enforcement officers in a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday (18/4/2024).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The illegal distribution of drugs from Medan, North Sumatra, to Jakarta was successfully foiled by the authorities. In this case, drug couriers took advantage of airline employees to deceive control of goods via air transportation.

The mode of drug smuggling of the types of methamphetamine and ecstasy was revealed in collaboration with the Directorate of Drug Crimes, the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Indonesian National Police (Bareskrim Polri) with the Directorate General of Customs and Excise, Ministry of Finance, Regional Office Soekarno-Hatta Airport Customs and Excise.

The authorities, in early March 2024, received information that there was an inter-provincial drug courier carrying drugs from Medan to Jakarta via air transport.

"From the mapping and analysis conducted by the investigators in the field, we successfully arrested Mr. MRP at Terminal 2B Soekarno-Hatta where we seized 5 kilograms of meth and 1,841 ecstasy pills," said Deputy Director of Drug Crime at Bareskrim, Commissioner Arie Ardian, at a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday (18/4/2024)."

Arie stated that the MRP suspect was tasked with delivering methamphetamine and ecstasy from Medan to Jakarta using a plane. In Jakarta, authorities arrested suspect R as the drug recipient.

Also read: Drug Circulation Through Soekarno-Hatta Airport is Still Rampant

KOMPAS

The Directorate of Special Crime of the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Indonesian National Police has released information on the raid of an ecstasy laboratory or factory belonging to drug lord Fredy Pratama in the Sunter area of North Jakarta on Monday (8/4/2024).

From MRP's arrest, the authorities suspected that someone inside was involved. From the search, the authorities found that there were two employees whose job was to take drugs in the form of crystal methamphetamine and ecstasy from outside the airport and then put them into the airport area, namely DA and RP. Both of them are lavatory service officers from Lion Air.

The drugs they took were then put in using a lavatory service vehicle. In this way, these illicit goods can enter without passing through the goods inspection route. At the airport area, the item was handed over to a suspect named MRP who had previously entered with an empty bag.

Also read: Drug Circulation Modes in DKI Jakarta are Increasingly Diverse

Meanwhile, the operator controlling the circulation of drugs is HF. He is a former Avsec officer at Kualanamu Airport, Medan, who quit working in 2018. In carrying out his actions, HF is aided by his wife, BA. The suspect BA is responsible for preparing travel tickets from Medan to Jakarta for MRP as a courier. Meanwhile, there is another person tasked with delivering the goods, namely MZ.

Regarding the case, the authorities arrested seven suspects, namely MRP as a courier; R as a courier, DA and RP as couriers and intermediaries; MZ as a courier; HF as an operator; and BA as a courier. In addition to them, there are 3 people who are currently fugitives, namely with the names E, Y, and PP. They are charged with Article 114 Paragraph 2, in conjunction with Article 112 Paragraph 2 of Law Number 35 Year 2009 regarding Narcotics.

KOMPAS/AGNES THEODORA

Officials at the Indra Jaya Swastika Temporary Storage Site in Surabaya, East Java, conducted electronic scanning (X-ray) of the contents of packages sent by Indonesian migrant workers before determining the classification of their importation route.

On the occasion, Lion Air's Director of Safety and Security, Iyus Susyanto stated that if proven guilty of the criminal acts as described by the investigators, they will take stern action. However, Iyus did express hope that other stakeholders related to the case would also be questioned about it.

"Regarding our own employees, if it is proven, we will terminate. That is for sure. (This) is because from the start we had a commitment at the time of the contract, whoever is involved in drugs, there will be no mercy," said Iyus.

If before, investigators uncovered the distribution of drugs smuggled through air routes, on April 4th, authorities also thwarted the smuggling of crystal methamphetamine from one ship to another. The disclosure originated from information about a plan to send narcotics from Malaysia to Aceh.

"Based on the analysis and investigation by the investigator and the Customs and Excise team, we are trying to map and conduct mapping efforts at sea," said Arie.

Also read: Improve Water Monitoring to Prevent Drug Smuggling

KOMPAS/ISMAIL ZAKARIA

A number of fast patrol boats and speed boats belonging to Batam Type B Customs and Excise, Riau Islands, docked in the Sekupang Harbor area, Thursday (1/3/2018 ).

Then, authorities managed to arrest five suspects. They are RF and H as couriers from the sea to the land, B and F as boat drivers in Malaysian waters, as well as MR as the receiver on land. Additionally, there is a fugitive with the initial I who is suspected to have a role in controlling the delivery of methamphetamine.

From the investigation of authorities, two suspects were involved in obtaining crystal meth from a drug network in Malaysia. They then brought the crystal meth into Indonesian waters, approximately 7 miles from the beach border in Idi Rayeuk District, East Aceh.

Also read: 33 Narcotics Case Suspects Arrested by Police, BNN Anticipates Sea Route

From the arrest, authorities seized 19 kg of crystal meth. Through the investigation, information was obtained that the crystal meth was intended to be distributed in the Aceh region, then transported to Java Island for further distribution there, including in Jakarta.

"We will continue to develop this case with networks that provide this type of drug, as well as to networks distributing it in Indonesian territory," said Arie.