90 Percent Of Methamphetamine Dealers Arrested In Southeast Sulawesi Claim To Be Under Economic Pressure, But Forget That The Threat Can Be The Death Penalty

Director of Drug Investigation of the Southeast Sulawesi Regional Police (Polda) Kombes Pol Muhammad Eka Faturrahman

JAKARTA - The Southeast Sulawesi Regional Police have data that on average 90 percent of arrested narcotics dealers admit that they were forced to do so because of economic problems. But that is not an excuse.

"Indeed, in 90 percent of these narcotics cases, we found that this crime was the main factor behind why the perpetrators got involved in drug trafficking, namely economic problems", said Director of Drug Investigation of the Southeast Sulawesi Regional Police, Commissioner Muhammad Eka Faturrahman, Wednesday, March 9 quoted from Antara.

He said that in the last two months his party together with all ranks of the Narcotics Investigation Unit at 11 REsort Police have confiscated nearly 4 kilograms of evidence of narcotics of the type of crystal methamphetamine. Even so, Eka did not specify for sure.

According to him, someone is involved in drug trafficking because it can get big profits. However, the dealer did not know that if he dared to circulate the illicit goods, the threat of imprisonment for 20 years awaited.

Eka emphasized that whatever the pretext of a person in distributing drugs, they are still threatened with punishment for violating Article 114 paragraph (2) subsidiary Article 112 paragraph (2) of the Republic of Indonesia Law Number 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics with the threat of a death penalty, life imprisonment or imprisonment for a minimum of six years and a maximum of 20 years.

"By selling this (drugs) you get a big profit, it's easy to sell but the risk is more dangerous when caught", he said.

Eka admitted that his party as law enforcement will continue to be committed and continue to exist to eradicate drug trafficking in Southeast Sulawesi to protect the community and the younger generation, especially from the dangers of illegal drugs.

"We will continue to work hard because of this narcotics crime, if we are lazy, we cannot reveal the crime of drug abuse", said Eka.

Police hunt for 1.1 kg of methamphetamine supplier

Police are still looking for the supplier of 1,110 grams or 1.1 kilograms of methamphetamine which was confiscated from a man with the initials FM (42) who was arrested on Saturday (5/3) in Kendari. Commissioner Muhammad Eka Faturrahman said that currently his party already knows the origin of the supplier of 1.1 kilograms of narcotics but he is reluctant to mention it because it is still in the development stage.

"It is indeed from outside (Southeast Sulawesi), but (the sending area) we already know, but we cannot explain in detail", he said.

He conveyed that the case that was successfully revealed related to the criminal act of illicit drug trafficking could not be upgraded because the status was still being developed.

Eka said that currently, the Drugs and Drugs Directorate Team of the Southeast Sulawesi Regional Police has moved to the area where the illicit goods came from to arrest the supplier of the illicit goods so that they are included in the jurisdiction of the Regional Police.

"In this investigation, we cannot improve, because we are still developing the person who sent this, our team is still moving there (the area of origin of the supplier)", he said.

Previously, the Southeast Sulawesi Police Narcotics Investigation Directorate arrested a man suspected of being a shabu-shabu dealer on March 5, 2022, on Bete-Bete Street, Sodohoa Village, West Kendari District, but at that time no evidence was found.

The police then carried out developments and managed to find 1110 grams of evidence (BB) suspected of being methamphetamine on Sunday, March 6 in Mokoau Village, Kambu District, Kendari in an empty house that the suspect had deliberately rented to store the illicit goods.

Eka said that his party had sniffed the illicit goods from outside Southeast Sulawesi which was directed through telephone communication, while the sender and suspect FM did not know each other.

"The recipient and the sender don't know each other, they trust each other, just pick it up somewhere and the proceeds from the sale will be returned via transfer to the person who sent the item", he explained.

Currently, the suspect and evidence have been brought to the Head of the Directorate of Drug Investigation at the Southeast Sulawesi Regional Police for further investigation and development.

The suspect was charged with Article 114 paragraph (2) subsidiary Article 112 paragraph (2) of the Republic of Indonesia Law Number 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics with the threat of a death penalty, imprisonment for life or imprisonment for a minimum of six years, and a maximum of 20 years.