The single ton of crystal meth from Taiwan uncovered by the Indonesian police personnel in cooperation with the Taiwanese police and other parties is exhibited at the Jakarta police headquarter on Thursday (20/7). The police also secured the Wanderlust ship that carried the crystal meth.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — National Police Chief Gen. Tito Karnavian has stated that he supports shooting drug dealers. Tito believes that such a harsh action will make the drug dealers tremble.
Tito made the statement on Thursday (20/7) in Jakarta during a press conference on an ongoing case that uncovered 1 ton of crystal methamphetamine, known by the street name shabu-shabu, and valued at Rp 1.5 trillion, which was smuggled by a Taiwanese syndicate through Anyer, Banten. A suspect was shot dead for attempting to run over a police officer.
The press conference was also attended by Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Customs and Excise Director General Heru Pambudi of the Finance Ministry, National Narcotics Agency (BNN) deputy Insp. Gen. Arman Depari, and Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Mochamad Iriawan.
Tito stressed that the National Police was determined to eradicate drugs and crack down on dealers. This was a warning against foreigners who made Indonesia the main destination of drugs.
"The laws in Indonesia are considered weak by international drug syndicates so they are increasing and turning Indonesia into a potential market. Laws in the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia are stricter, so dealers are moving to Indonesia. Therefore, we will act firmly and violently. Shoot [them]. I\'m sure a strong response will discourage offenders. Like in the Philippines, with their strict actions, drug trafficking has dropped drastically," the Tito said.
Tito added that the investigation of the 1-ton shabu-shabu case was still ongoing. The Wanderlust ship and other equipment used to transport the shabu-shabu were being examined. They had also confirmed that the Taiwanese smugglers had a hidden network of distributors.
The Wanderlust ship departed from Taiwan heading to the North Natuna Sea, and then sailed along the eastern coast of Sumatra to Myanmarese waters. It was suspected that a ship had been waiting there, which transferred its cargo onto the Wanderlust. From Myanmarese waters, Wanderlust sailed along the western coast of Sumatra to dock in Anyer.
The National Police chief ordered that the 1 ton of methamphetamine be destroyed immediately and done so transparently. Other evidence must be guarded and placed in special storage.
Heru Pambudi explained that the Wanderlust used a different route when entering and exiting Indonesian territory. "When they set sail, we monitored the ship. The fastest shipping lane from Anyer is through the waters of Tanjung Berakit near Batam. There, we ambushed it,” Heru said.
Heru said the customs and excise directorate general was supported by a fleet of 189 ships. The fleet was adequate as long as the customs office was supported by the Indonesian Navy, the Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) and the Coast Guard. The fleet’s adequacy, Heru said, depended on inter-institutional synergy.
"The synergy is not only at the national level, but also the international one, because what we face is an international network. Information was received through the Taiwanese police and action was taken here," he said.
According to BNN deputy Arman Depari, the action against drug dealers was extraordinarily carried out, including armed response. Now, what needs to be improved is community prevention. "As long as people want drugs, [as long as] there are buyers, the drug supply will always be there," Arman said.
Person involved
Separately, BNN chief Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso said the involvement of law enforcers in the drug trade was an obstacle in the effort to eradicate drugs. The synergy between the National Police, BNN, and the custom office needed to be improved in joint monitoring.
Waseso said at the press conference at BNN’s office in Jakarta on Thursday that the involvement of law enforcement officers in drug trafficking made the drug dealers\' networks stronger and made it increasingly difficult to track their movements. As a result, many shipments of drugs had the potential to escape the eyes of the BNN and the National Police.
Based on BNN records, at least 50 percent of the drug trafficking trade in Indonesia was controlled from inside prisons. Prisons had become the center of drug circulation because there were security guarantees from crooked law enforcers in the penitentiaries.
"The drug dealers dominate the networks in the penitentiaries, thereby hampering our work. Crooked law enforcement officers are traitors of the country and the state and have to be punished severely for destroying Indonesia’s younger generation," said Waseso. "There is no mercy for the law enforcement officers involved in drug trafficking," he said.
The Customs and Excise director general said a strong synergy would facilitate an exchange in information from each institution. "Collaboration must be done because Indonesia has been picked out (by drug traffickers) to become a [major] drug market," Heru said.
