Fishermen In Aceh Are Lured To Get IDR 1.6 Billion From 84 Kg Of Crystal Methamphetamine

Photo via Antara

JAKARTA - Two fishermen from the waters of East Aceh have become meth couriers for the Aceh-Malaysia network by ship-to-ship or loading and unloading of goods. If successful, the two suspects could get more than IDR 1 billion in cash.

The Directorate of Drug Crimes (Dittipidnarkoba) of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the National Police explained that the suspects were named Januar bin Jaelani or Tekong of the ship and Dian Ramadhan bin Ridwan as a companion. From the arrest, the police found evidence of methamphetamine weighing 84 kg.

"These fishermen were promised a wage per kilo of shipments of IDR 20 million", said the Director of Narcotics Crime of the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department, Brigadier General Krisno H Siregar, at a press conference at the Criminal Investigation Unit Building, Headquarters Police, Jakarta, Monday, March 21.

According to Krisno, the method of drug delivery using the services of fishermen is not new. In 2021, the National Police's Narcotics Tipid, Criminal Investigation Unit, also revealed a similar case.

However, the two fishermen who have just been arrested are new players, not yet recidivists. Both of them also have not received wages from the delivery of the drug package from Malaysia.

"According to the confession of the two fishermen, they received messages for drug shipments from people named Anif alias Daud and Idris from Aceh. Both have been put on the wanted list (DPO)", said Krisno.

Krisno revealed that economic factors were one of the reasons the fishermen wanted to become drug couriers. In addition, Indonesia is still a market for illicit drug trafficking due to high supply and demand.

In this disclosure, the Criminal Investigation Police of the National Police in collaboration with the Customs and Excise Directorate carried out joint patrols in Indonesian waters. Within 2.5 months of the operation, around 1.2 drugs have been secured in the border areas of Indonesia.

"Threats in drugs are unrelenting, in 2.5 months since 2022, 20 cases have been disclosed together with 1.2 tons of evidence. In just three months", said Director of Drug Interdiction, Customs and Excise, Syarif Hidayat.

The two fishermen were charged with the primary article of Article 114 paragraph (2) in conjunction with Article 132 paragraph (2) of Law Number 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics with a maximum threat of capital punishment or life imprisonment, or a minimum of six years with a fine of IDR 1 billion. Then subsidiary Article 112 paragraph (2) in conjunction with Article 132 paragraph (2) of Law Number 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics.