REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Several Malaysians have supported drug trafficking in Indonesia by allowing smuggling of drugs from Malaysia to Indonesia, an official said.
"Malaysia still supports drug trafficking in Indonesia as drugs had been smuggled (into Indonesia) several times by Malaysian citizens," Budi Waseso (Buwas), head of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) said here on Wednesday.
BNN had shot dead several Malaysian drug smugglers and dealers, Buwas noted, adding that drug smuggling into Indonesia could endanger the nation.
"It has involved Malaysian nationals, with the objective to destroy our country. It has also involved Bengkayang penitentiary's prisoner belonging to an international network in West Kalimantan," he told the press in the BNN headquarters located in Cawang, East Jakarta.
The prisoner, identified by his initials as TD, was involved in drug trafficking from the jail.
The problem is that Malaysia has a legal system which is different from that of Indonesia. The neighboring country does not allow (foreign) interference when its citizens are involved in drug trafficking," he stated.
"Malaysia does not allow any interference. If they handled the case, the persons would vanish. When I was head of the Crime Investigation Department (Bareskrim), I had sent officers twice to Malaysia. The point had been made known, but (the suspects) vanished," he revealed.
BNN, the Indonesian Customs and Excise, and police had discovered two international drug syndicates operating in West Kalimantan and North Aceh; arrested 10 suspects; and shot dead two Malaysian drug smugglers, identified by their initials as LUH alias Ape and CKH alias Ahoe, for resisting arrest.
"Both died in the encounter. They had tried to bribe officers by offering Rp10 billion. Officers seized 57.54 kilograms of sabu (crystal methamphetamine)," Buwas remarked during the two raids conducted in West Kalimantan and Aceh Provinces, respectively.
In West Kalimantan, on Aug 6, 2017, the authorities seized 17.54 kilograms of methamphetamine and arrested five suspects, namely RP, AV, MY, DZ, and TF. LUH and CKH were neutralized for resisting arrest.
The methamphetamine was smuggled from Kuching, Malaysia, via Jagoi Babang border check point, into West Kalimantan.
The raid in North Aceh, carried out by the authorities on Aug 8, 2017, succeeding in foiling an attempt to smuggle methamphetamine from Penang, Malaysia, by boat.