Kalimantan Is Now The Gateway To The 'Golden Triangle' Drug Network

Photo via Antara

JAKARTA - The South Kalimantan Police have prevented the entry of 10 Kilograms of methamphetamine from the international network The Golden Triangle or the "golden triangle". The name is an area in the northern part of Southeast Asia which includes Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar.

"Alhamdulillah, we succeeded in thwarting this narcotics smuggling attempt so that it did not circulate," said the Director of Drug Investigation at the South Kalimantan Police, Kombes Pol Tri Wahyudi, in Banjarmasin, Tuesday, August 2, quoted from Antara.

Two suspects with the initials EB and ET as couriers were arrested on July 22, 2022 by a team of Sub-Directorate 2 of the Narcotics Directorate of the South Kalimantan Police led by AKBP Zaenal Arifien while carrying 10 large packages of methamphetamine with a total weight of 10,123.95 grams or more than 10 kilograms.

Tri said that the plan to send narcotics in large quantities was known after his party received information from the public.

The investigation was carried out for two weeks to dig up information until accurate data was obtained if a car was going to carry drugs into South Kalimantan from West Kalimantan.

"So these two couriers departed from Banjarmasin to collect methamphetamine to West Kalimantan by land route," he explained during a release with the Head of Public Relations of the South Kalimantan Police, Kombes Pol Mochamad Rifa'i.

The results of police interrogation of the suspects, they claimed to have received orders from someone who was in the Penitentiary (Lapas) in South Kalimantan and was promised a salary of Rp. 50 million.

Tri ensures that this case continues to be developed, including examining the controller who is said to be languishing in prison in order to uncover a larger network.

Meanwhile, regarding the international network of the "golden triangle", Tri explained that it was based on the packaging of methamphetamine wrapped in white paper bearing Chinese characters with West Kalimantan as the entrance to Indonesia.

"This package is relatively new to South Kalimantan. Previously it was wrapped in green Chinese coffee products. We are also still coordinating with the West Kalimantan Regional Police for development," he said.