The South Jakarta Police have charged Indonesian actor Tora Sudiro with a serious drug offense for illegal possession of a prescription drug, while his wife, Mieke Amalia, who was arrested along with him, was released as police ruled that she was not in possession of the same drug.
“The wife was just a user, so in 24 hours we will release her so she can undergo rehabilitation. TS (Tora Sudiro) has been approved for detention,” said Vivick Tjangkung, head of South Jakarta Police’s Anti-Narcotics Unit, as quoted by Tempo today.
According to Vivick, Tora was named a criminal suspect after he was found to be in possession of a drug to treat insomnia called dumolid without the legally required prescription. The drug, though available over the counter via a prescription, is legally classified as a psychotropic narcotic.
“In accordance with Law no. 5/1997 (on Psychotropic Drugs), we have charged (Tora Sudiro) with (violation of) Article 62,” Vivick said.
Article 62 of the law states that anyone caught with possession of an illegal psychotropic drug may be punished with a maximum five years imprisonment and a fine of Rp 100 million.
Tora Sudiro and Mieke were arrested in a drug raid in their home in South Tangerang yesterday. The police found and confiscated 30 dumolid pills in their residence, later determined to belong to Tora.
Their arrests came as quite a shock as the pair had never fallen afoul of the law before. It’s also quite untimely for Tora, who is starring in the sequel to ‘Warkop DKI’, one of the most successful Indonesian movies of all time, which is scheduled for release in early September.
