Businessman and socialite Richard Muljadi, grandson of pharmaceuticals magnate Kartini Muljadi (whose family was ranked #44 in Forbes’ 2017 50 richest Indonesians list with a net worth of $680 million), is one of Jakarta’s most well-known high society figures due to his lavish spending habits (yes, he’s the same guy who bought his dog an SUV as a birthday present).
Detik-detik Richard Muljadi Terciduk Nge-Coke di Toilet Restoran https://t.co/tmvisBnOTp pic.twitter.com/FM8NM4MIva
— detikcom (@detikcom) August 22, 2018
So when the Jakarta Police announced yesterday that Richard had been arrested for allegedly using cocaine, the news quickly made national headlines. But according to the police, the arrest was not the culmination of an elaborate sting operation by anti-narcotics officers but simply a matter of coincidence.
“The person was arrested while taking cocaine inside the restaurant’s toilet at Pacific Place, SCBD, South Jakarta early on Tuesday morning,” Jakarta Police spokesperson Argo Yuwono said yesterday as quoted by Kompas. Pacific Place is a high end mall located in Jakarta’s Sudirman Central Business District.
According to Argo, a mid-ranking police officer, Sr. Comr. Herry Heryawan, happened to be in the same restaurant as Richard. Herry went to the restroom to use the toilet but found it to be occupied. After waiting for a long time, Richard came out and Herry, who had already been suspicious about what the toilet’s occupant had been doing in there for so long, saw that the socialite’s iPhone X was covered in white powder.
Herry (who claimed he did not know who Richard was at the time) questioned the socialite on the spot, secured the evidence and called for backup. Richard was soon secured by the police narcotics’ unit, who gave him a urine test for which he tested positive for cocaine and benzodiazepines. Officers said he was in possession of 0.038 grams at the time of his arrest.
Argo said that Richard’s legal status was still being processed but that their investigations had revealed that he had been using cocaine for two years. He also said that police were investigating where he got the narcotics.
While drug dealers can potentially face the death penalty under Indonesia’s harsh drug laws, users caught with small amounts of narcotics can receive sentences ranging from a few years in prison to just rehabilitation.
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