Drug smuggling on the rise at Jakarta airport

Written by Writer on Thursday, October 23rd, 2008

Drug smuggling on the rise at Jakarta airport

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang | Wed, 10/22/2008 2:26 PM | National

Despite the heavy prison sentences being handed down at Tangerang District Court, the number of drug-smuggling incidents reported from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport began to rise again this year, a customs official said.

Eko Darmanto, chief of intelligence at the airport’s customs office told ^YThe Jakarta Post^Y on Wednesday the number of foiled drug-smuggling attempts there had reached 12 since February.

“We have arrested 23 people as suspects and seized the smuggled drugs,” he said.

Most suspects are nationals of Taiwan (13 people), followed by Indonesia (four), Malaysia (three), Thailand (two) and the United Kingdom (one).

The number of foiled drug-smuggling incidents at the airport reached its peak in 2004 after steadily increasing since 1998.

“Tangerang District Court’s handing down of harsh sentences for drug smuggles contributed to a slacking off between 2005 and 2007,” Eko said.

Separately, Teuku Rahman, chief of the general crime section at the Tangerang Prosecutors Office confirmed prosecutors had received the dossiers of 12 suspects from the police.

“The trials of three suspects — Pe Mee Yee, Michael Anthony Guevara and Thititrat Charoensuk — are underway at the district court,” he told the ^YPost^Y, adding the defendants would likely face the death penalty if found guilty of smuggling cocaine. The three are nationals of Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and Thailand, respectively.