The Bali chapter of the National Narcotics Agency (BNNP Bali) said it has foiled an attempt to smuggle 992 ecstacy tablets and around 300 grams of shabu (crystal meth) from Gilimanuk Port in Jembrana Regency.
In a press conference announcing the bust yesterday, BNNP Bali Chief Brigadier General Putu Gede Suastawa said the drugs were transported into Bali via a shuttle van from Surabaya and that the suspect is a recidivist named Komang Sudarma, who is known for being active in the drug trade between Surabaya and Bali.
According to Suastawa, a BNNP Bali officer went undercover as a passenger in the van as it transported drugs along the route. The van stopped its journey at a house in Denpasar, where Sudarma came out to receive the package himself. He was later arrested by BNNP Bali officers.
The ecstasy and shabu packages were smuggled inside a heart-shaped box, which is often used for seserahan (a parcel containing gifts presented by a groom to his fiance in Indonesian marriage proposal ceremonies). Suastawa said it was a trick often used by drug smugglers.
“The role of suspect Komang Sudarma in this case was as a courier. However, he’s a heavy user, we suspect that he is a mid-level drug dealer. [The drugs] were put inside [the parcel box], as their modus operandi and alibi,” Suastawa said yesterday, as quoted by Detik.
Suastawa said Sudarma is a recidivist and had been imprisoned for drug smuggling at Kerobokan Prison from 2011 to 2012. Following his recent arrest, Sudarma confessed to BNNP Bali that he had received drugs from Surabaya meant for distribution in Denpasar three times in the span of a year.
Police say they have reason to believe that Sudarma received the drugs from a prisoner, identified by his initial I, currently incarcerated in East Java’s Madiun Prison, The prisoner was allegedly a friend of Sudarma’s when they were jailed at Kerobokan Prison. After being released from Kerobokan, Sudarma worked as a freelance driver, but after his arrest police say they are investigating the possibility of there being a drug smuggling network being operated from inside Madiun Prison.
BNNP Bali also raided Sudarma’s house, where they confiscated two cellphones and a bankbook. Komang Sudarma has been charged with drug smuggling under Indonesia’s harsh anti-drug laws and may face five to 20 years in prison if convicted.
