Indonesian nabbed for smuggling 7.7kg drugs

The Jakarta Post, Semarang, Central Java | Archipelago | Mon, October 15 2012, 9:28 PM

A 37-year-old Indonesian woman, identified only by the initials RS, who is suspected of being a courier for an international drugs ring, was arrested while trying to smuggle into the country 4.5 kilograms of heroin from the Philippines and 3.24 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine from Malaysia.

The head of the Central Java customs office, Supraptono, said on Monday that his team had arrested the suspect upon her arrival from Malaysia at Ahmad Yani International Airport in Semarang, Central Java last Saturday.

He said he suspected RS of being a drug smuggler before the arrest based on information already gathered.

According to Central Java Police narcotics division chief John Turman Panjaitan, RS had traveled between Indonesia and the Philippines via Malaysia five times.

“[She spent] only three to five days there, then she would return to Indonesia. After 20 days, she would return to the Philippines. The frequent trips aroused our suspicions,” John told the press on Monday.

Therefore, the official already had her under surveillance when she arrived at the airport on an AirAsia flight, said Supraptono.

“When customs and excise officers checked on her, they were suspicious about the two red suitcases she was carrying,” Supraptono said.

He said that officers managed to find the drugs, estimated to be worth Rp 16.11 billion (US$1.67 million), concealed inside hidden compartments in the suitcases.

The drugs were packed in four packages and wrapped in aluminum foil to prevent them from being detected by X-ray, Supraptono added.

John said that the police were currently seeking the ringleader behind the drug trafficking.

RS, meanwhile, claimed that she was called by someone on a private number who told her where to collect the drugs, to be delivered from Semarang to Jakarta by train.

She added that she was paid Rp 20 million for each successful delivery.

If proven guilty, RS may face the death penalty as stipulated in accordance with the 2009 Narcotics Law, John said.

“She could be sentenced to death because the drugs weighed more than four grams,” he said as quoted by kompas.com. “This case is one of the biggest we have handled in Central Java,” he added. (han/swd)