Previously Driving Private Cars, Drug Dealers Now Disguise As Public Bus Passengers

Evidence of 6 kg methamphetamine-type drugs was confiscated from 2 suspects S and T (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The modus of drug dealers has now shifted to trick the police. They used to drive private vehicles, now the perpetrators have switched to public transportation.

Kasatres Narcotics Polres Metro for West Jakarta, AKBP Ronaldo Maradona Siregar said, this modus shift was discovered after several times uncovering cases. The perpetrators disguised themselves as public bus passenger.

"Our monitoring revealed several times that their network that they were using public transportation. So their goal is to trick the officers, using a regular bus, carrying a backpack, looks like an ordinary passenger," Ronaldo said as quoted by Antara, Monday, January 25.

Ronaldo said drug dealers also took advantage of the situation with the Enforcement of Restrictions on Community Activities (PPKM) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I appreciate the people who have provided information. This is our war, let's work together to fight drugs," he said.

Previously, the West Jakarta Metro Police Narcotics Detective Unit thwarted the circulation of 6 kilograms of methamphetamine drugs from two suspects S and T in two different locations.

The disclosure of the case began with S who was arrested in the Kapuk Muara Penjaringan area, North Jakarta and T's arrest in the city of Palembang, South Sumatra.

"The initial crime scene was in Penjaringan, then expanded to Palembang," said West Jakarta Metro Police Deputy Chief AKBP Bismo Teguh Prakoso, Monday, January 25.

From suspect S, the police confiscated a large package of 1 kilogram of crystal methamphetamine from his hand. S acted as a courier between the shabu who was caught on Thursday, 21 January.

Subsequently, the police chased down the members above S and received information that crystal meth was coming at a pool at the Palembang bus terminal.

After T was arrested, the police found a five kilogram package of crystal methamphetamine carried in his bag on Saturday, January 23. So that the total findings reached six kilograms of crystal meth.

"We secure a total of 6 meths," said Ronaldo. The two suspects are subject to Article Law Number 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics with the threat of imprisonment for a maximum of 20 years.