Bandung Police Unload Synthetic Drug Industry House

Bandung Police Chief Kombes Kusworo Wibowo when the case of a synthetic drug industry house was released in Nagreg, Bandung Regency, West Java. (ANTARA/Rubby Jovan)

The Narcotics Investigation Unit (Satres Narkoba) of the Bandung City Police (Polresta), West Java, revealed a network of homes for the production of synthetic drugs or gorilla tobacco in the Nagreg area, Bandung Regency, West Java.

Bandung Police Chief Kombes Kusworo Wibowo said the police arrested two perpetrators who produced drugs along with confiscated several pieces of evidence, including synthetic tobacco ready for distribution and other chemicals.

"The house is used by two men named AY and APS to produce synthetic tobacco narcotics," said Kusworo in Bandung Regency, as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, May 28.

Kusworo explained that the disclosure of this case began when officers arrested one of the perpetrators disguised himself as a buyer.

After the second arrest, the police, with information from the perpetrators, immediately went to the house which was used as a production site for synthetic tobacco narcotics.

"Based on the statements of the perpetrators to the officers, they have been producing this illicit item for four days," he said.

Before producing synthetic tobacco, Kusworo said AY and APS were couriers on one of the accounts selling the illicit goods for one year. They are also drug users.

"As couriers, they get a fee (profit) of 10 percent of the turnover sold, for example sending for Rp. 500 thousand, getting Rp. 50 thousand," he said.

After being a courier for one year, he said AY and APS asked the narcotics dealer's account called the system of hearings to open access to synthetic tobacco raw materials. They want to produce stronger synthetic tobacco.

"After obtaining a link of goods as raw material, the person concerned has been conducting trials for four days and has only made sales transactions of four points," he said.

For their actions, the two perpetrators were charged with Article 114 and Article 112 of Law Number 35 of 2009 concerning brokering to sell and deliver narcotics class 1. With the threat of a minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years and a maximum fine of Rp. 10 billion.