Former TKI Smuggles 3 Kg Of Crystal Methamphetamine From Malaysia's Serawak To Balikpapan, East Kalimantan

BALIKPAPAN - A former Indonesian worker (TKI) illegally in Serawak, Malaysia, is desperate to smuggle 3 kilograms of methamphetamine for a wage of Rp 50 million. Now, the former illegal migrant worker must be behind bars and threatened with a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

Sub-Directorate 1 of the Narcotics Directorate of the East Kalimantan Police said the former illegal migrant worker, who is now officially named a suspect, is known as Saupit alias Upit, 21 years old, a resident of Enrekang, South Sulawesi.

From the hands of the suspect, Upit, the police confiscated and secured evidence of methamphetamine weighing a total of more than 3 kilograms or more than Rp. 3 billion.

Panit Sidik Subdit 1 Ditresnarkoba Polda Kaltim, Ipda Candra Silalahi said the illicit goods came from Serawak Malaysia, which the suspect managed to smuggle into Balikpapan City by land.

The suspect, Upit, carried 3 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine from Malaysia, through the border of West Kalimantan, which then crossed Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and ended up in Balikpapan City, East Kalimantan.

"From the suspect's statement that this item came from the Malaysian Serawak. So when this suspect brought him, he was an illegal migrant worker in Serawak. He got a job traveling by land through West Kalimantan (West Kalimantan), Central Kalimantan (Central Kalimantan), Banjarmasin and finally arrived at Balikpapan," Candra said in his statement, Thursday, September 14.

According to him, the suspect, Upit, was arrested after two days of hiding in Balikpapan City. Initially, the police only found 2 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine from the suspect's hands. However, after the development was carried out, the police finally found 1 kilogram of crystal methamphetamine hidden in a prayer room in Kariangau Village, West Balikpapan District.

"Our members succeeded in conducting an investigation and securing the suspect in the Kariangau area. At first it was only 2 kilograms, then we developed it. On the same day about 4 hours later we got another kilogram in a different place," he added.

Based on the results of the interim examination, the suspect, Saupit alias Upit, only acts as a courier who is strongly suspected of being controlled by the major international network dealer in Malaysia. "That's right, the status of the suspect is currently a courier," he concluded.