Police in Jakarta have arrested Andrie Bayuadjie, guitarist for the legendary pop band Kahitna, for illegal possession and consumption of prescription drugs.
The Jakarta Metro Police arrested Andrie in Cilandak, South Jakarta on Thursday. During the bust, police confiscated 45 pills of a drug containing diazepam, which is usually prescribed to treat anxiety and insomnia, among others.
To the police, Andrie said he was prescribed the drug from 2017 to 2018, but obtained the pills online without a doctor’s prescription from 2020 onwards.
“He admitted to consuming the drug to calm himself down and help him sleep,” Jakarta Metro Police spokesman Endra Zulpan said during a press conference today.
Andrie admitted to buying the drugs independently on 12 different occasions since 2020.
Andrie may face up to five years in prison for unlawful possession of psychotropics.
The 48-year-old is a founding member of the 9-man group Kahitna, which has swooned Indonesia with their timeless love songs like Cantik and Aku Punya Hati since 1986.
In 2017, actor Tora Sudiro was also arrested for obtaining and consuming a psychotropic drug without a prescription. Within weeks, he was released after police agreed to suspend his detention as long as he commits to regularly checking in at rehab.
Reader Interactions