NTB Police Investigate Money Flow in 17 Kg of Opium Case related to Former Bima Police Chief

West Nusa Tenggara Regional Police Headquarters. ANTARA/Dhimas B.P.

MATARAM - The West Nusa Tenggara Regional Police is investigating allegations of funds in the case of the circulation of 17 kilograms (kg) of methamphetamine, which is suspected of dragging the name of the former Bima City Police Chief, Didik Putra Kuncoro.

Director of Narcotics Investigation of the NTB Police, Kombes Roman Smaradhana Elhaj, said his party needed to deepen because there was no evidence leading to the allegation.

"We will study it later. That's just what they said," he said, quoted by ANTARA, Friday, May 22.

He explained that the information about the 17 kilograms circulated before the arrest of Didik Putra Kuncor related to the case of Erwin Iskandar alias Koko Erwin in the circulation of half a kilogram of the results of the arrest of Malaungi, the former Head of the Narcotics Unit of the Bima City Police.

Therefore, he said, it takes time to conduct an in-depth investigation through the process of collecting evidence.

"The problem is that if what is circulating is, we need strong evidence. Therefore, what we are dealing with, what has evidence (half a kilogram) is," said Kombes Roman.

Information about the alleged flow of money circulating 17 kilograms before the arrest of Malaungi with evidence of Koko Erwin's half a kilogram, appeared for the first time from the statement of the investigating prosecutor at the NTB Prosecutor's Office, Budi Muklish on April 28, 2026.

Budi Muklish initially revealed that according to Kombes Roman's statement, there was a study of the narcotics case file for Didik and eight other people, including Koko Erwin.

Although it did not explain in full detail who the names of the suspects from the nine case files were, the investigating prosecutor explained that the narcotics case files from Koko Erwin's distribution network had been returned to the police investigators as a whole.

In the return of the file, the investigating prosecutor provided a number of instructions, one of the most crucial materials regarding the application of criminal law.

Previously, police investigators were said to have only listed a crime about possession of narcotics.

"It relates to the new Article 609 of the Criminal Code, if it is only about possession, control, if it is like that it cannot be TPPU-ed," said the investigating prosecutor.

Therefore, in the additional instructions, the investigating prosecutor asked the investigators to develop this case into a money laundering crime (TPPU) by adding related criminal articles on the circulation of narcotics.

According to the prosecutor, the issue of TPPU has been clearly revealed in the series of investigations into the case of narcotics circulation in Bima City, which is under the care of the NTB Police and the Criminal Investigation Unit of the National Police.

The investigating prosecutor said there were deposits of money from the circulation that were structured to go into the pockets of the suspects, especially from among police officials.

"So, it's not just Rp2.8 billion. We also revealed it, only the investigators wanted to open it. There are other flows from the circulation of 17 kilograms, each kilogram, there is a deposit of Rp150 million and above. That's why we ask for the TPPU as well," said the investigating prosecutor.