Police raid ecstasy ‘factory’ in Jambi

Jon Afrizal, The Jakarta Post, Jambi | Archipelago | Mon, February 11 2013, 10:44 PM

Police have raided a house in Jambi that was allegedly housing an operation to produce ecstasy pills.

The factory, located in RT 02, Sungai Asam subdistrict, Pasar Kota Jambi district, Jambi City, was allegedly producing an estimated 100 ecstasy pills per day.

After a long investigation, the Jambi precinct police’s narcotics unit raided the house last Thursday evening and seized a number of ecstasy pills and raw materials to produce the pills. Raden Inung Kertapati, 27, a suspect who allegedly produced the ecstasy pills, was arrested during the raid.

The Jambi precinct police’s chief of narcotics unit Comr. Witry Hariyono said on Monday that the suspect had long been targeted by the police. “In the suspect’s room, we found the raw materials he used to produce the ecstasy pills. It looks like a home factory for producing ecstasy pills.”

Witry said that from the preliminary investigation, Raden had been producing ecstasy pills for more than a half year. He sold the illegal drugs to drug dealers and sellers in areas throughout the province.

“At the moment, the suspect admitted that per week, he could produce 100 ecstasy pills,” said Witry.

During the raid, the police seized 38 red-colored ecstasy pills, four sachets of resochin chloroquine, used as raw materials to produce the pills, one glass-made plate and two pill-molds.

Witry said the police continued to conduct investigations to reveal the dealers of the drugs and where the raw materials came from.

A laboratory test is in progress to establish the chemical substance contained in the pills. If found guilty, the suspect could be charged under Law No.36/2009 on health and Law No.35/2009 on narcotics. (ebf)