Police Arrest Coffee Farmers Selling Drugs

BENGKULU - The Rejang Lebong Resort Police (Polres) team, Bengkulu, arrested a coffee farmer in Padang Ulak Tanding (PUT) sub-district who was selling methamphetamine.

Rejang Lebong Police Chief AKBP Tonny Kurniawan said the suspect who was arrested on Thursday (12/5) at around 1:45 pm was SA (32) a resident of Karang Baru Village, Padang Ulak Tanding District.

As a farmer, SA who has three children, has a coffee plantation of 2 hectares (ha).

"In addition to successfully securing the suspect from his residence, officers also secured evidence of a medium-sized package suspected of having methamphetamine wrapped in clear plastic clips," he said as quoted by Antara, Friday, May 13.

He explained that when he was about to be arrested at his house, the suspect had tried to escape through the back door of the house but was immediately secured.

The police also seized one medium package of methamphetamine, then one clear plastic sheet, four small clear plastic clips, pyrex glass, a shovel made of plastic pipettes, a cell phone, and Rp883,000 in cash.

The suspect was charged by investigators for violating Article 112 paragraph 1 of Law No. 35/2009, concerning Narcotics, with a threat of up to 12 years and a fine of IDR 800 million to IDR 8 billion.

"This suspect is categorized as a dealer, while the origin of the goods and their circulation are still under development," he said.

Meanwhile, the suspect SA in front of reporters admitted to having been a drug dealer of the type of shabu-shabu for the past 5 months because he was invited by his friend and was tempted by the big profits.