Indonesia's Metamorphosis In The World Of Drugs, Used To Be Just A Transit Place, Now It's A Circulation Location

Director of Narcotics Crime at the National Police Bareskrim Brigadier General Krisno H. Siregar (Photo via Rizky Adytia Pramana/VOI)

JAKARTA - The National Police Headquarters said that there was a change in the circulation of drugs in Indonesia. Indonesia, which was previously only a transit point for narcotics shipments, has now become a target or location for distribution.

"Indonesia is a place of circulation, yes, if we may say first (place, ed) transit is now a place of circulation," said Director of Narcotics Crime at the National Police, Brigadier General Krisno H. Siregar, to reporters, Friday, May 20.

Based on the mapping, Indonesia is a place of circulation because it has a large population. So, it is very potential to become a drug user.

In fact, Indonesia is also called one of the largest cannabis-producing countries. This is evidenced by the discovery of a large marijuana field in the Mandailing Natal area, North Sumatra.

"That is correlated with the still high prevalence rate, and also the potential for users according to the population of Indonesia," he said.

Meanwhile, for methamphetamine, Krisno continued, Indonesia is only a place for distribution. Because, from a series of disclosures, the circulation of methamphetamine always ends from abroad.

There are at least two countries that are recorded as smuggling the most methamphetamine into Indonesia. The mode that is often found is by disguising it using tea packaging.

"This meth source country that enters Indonesia is 2, the source country. The first is from Myanmar," said Krisno.