The Denpasar Police recently arrested two local residents and an Australian national for alleged trafficking and possession of crystal methamphetamine, with authorities suspecting that they may be part of a larger criminal network.
“Yes, we are looking into this. There’s indication that they are part of a drug trafficking network. We arrested three people the other day, one of whom is a foreign national,” Jansen Avitus Panjaitan, Denpasar City Police Chief, said yesterday.
Police said they arrested the two local residents on Jl. Mahendradatta in West Denpasar last Thursday, where they picked up a package containing crystal meth, which is locally known as shabu. By the time they realized they were about to be arrested, they tried to throw away the drug but were caught by authorities, who then seized 0.86 grams of the shabu packet as evidence.
The men said they had been instructed to pick up the drug by someone else, later identified as the Australian, who was located in Kerobokan. Police said they found a bong at the location and promptly arrested the foreigner, who said that the three of them planned on using the drugs together.
Under Indonesia’s notoriously harsh drug laws, the suspects each face a maximum of 12 years in prison and a fine of up to IDR8 billion (US$569,758).
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