REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MAKASSAR -- Indonesia is currently facing a proxy war in which illicit drugs are being used to harm the country's younger generation, according to Budi Waseso, chief of the National Narcotic Agency (BNN).

"Indonesia is currently being hit by a proxy war that threatens the nation, lest a drug war breaks out, like the opium war between China and Britain. China was weakened due to the opium supplied by Britain," he noted during a meeting with military and police personnel, here, Tuesday.

He claimed that 72 drug trafficking networks from 11 countries have supplied drugs to Indonesia.

A single network could earn Rp1 trillion, so in total, the figure reached Rp72 trillion, he revealed.

The drugs were smuggled into Indonesia through Singapore and Malaysia, he remarked.

Indonesia is in a state of drug emergency. Some 50 people die weekly due to the intake of drugs.

In 2016, some 250 tons of methamphetamine had entered Indonesia and targeted 6.4 million drug users.

Of the world's 300 new types of drugs, at least 68 are already in circulation in Indonesia.

According to the latest data, 12 tons of PCC were smuggled into Indonesia through Riau.

To fight the drug menace, a synergy between the Indonesian Defense Forces and the National Police is necessary, he emphasized.

In fact, every stakeholder, including non-governmental organizations and the community, should also help fight the spread of illicit drugs.

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