REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) has conveyed that children are susceptible to drug abuse and trafficking as criminals often recruit young children as drug couriers. KPAI Commissioner Putu Elvina here on Tuesday revealed that in 2017, there were 22 cases of drug children couriers reported to KPAI.
"The 22 cases involved different groups of children who became drug couriers. Meanwhile, 46 children became victims of drug abuse," Elvina stated.
Deputy of Prevention of National Narcotics Agency (BNN), Ali Johardi, stated that children below 18 years old constituted two percent of the total number of more than 1 million children abusing illegal substance.
Johardi revealed that gangs often give children illicit substance for free.
Once the children are addicted, the dealers begin selling the drugs to them.
Once they are addicted, they are then offered to deliver the drugs to several places in return for free ones, Johardi revealed.
Dealers are known to blend the illicit substance with foods or beverages consumed by the children, he explained.
BNN has identified 68 new kinds of drugs during 2017. Most of the drugs were targeted for children as the prey.
"New types of narcotics are increasingly widespread. There are 68 new kinds of narcotics in 2017. From early March until last Sunday, three kinds of new narcotics were found," according to Johardi said.
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