Police confiscated 5 kg of marijuana worth a mind-boggling Rp. 1 billion (US $81,000) at the Tanjung Priok seaport late Monday evening.
That is truly one expensive strain that only a few would be able to afford.
The police suspect the strain, called ‘Thai stick’, was being sold to foreigners or ‘bule’ in Kemang, South Jakarta. Police also apprehended two suspected dealers.
Authorities managed to sniff out the ganja when a package, in the form of a table, arrived from Malaysia.
“We checked [the table] using an x-ray machine. It turned out there was marijuana inside,” said Wijayanta of the Tanjung Priok customs office, as quoted by Warta Kota on Monday.
As the police got involved, they managed to pin-point where the demand, and thus the supply, originated.
The police found that the table was ordered by ‘FB’ an Indonesian national in Bandung. After the police apprehended and questioned FB, they traced the table to the dealer, VB, a Malaysian national also in Bandung.
VB was arrested soon after and he willingly gave away the name of his supplier, ‘YL’, a French national who often hangs out in Kemang. The police have not managed to track down YL yet.
“He (VB) admitted that the [marijuana] was bought at Rp. 100 million per half kg from his French friend. The plan was for the goods to be distributed during New Years Eve, and to be consumed by foreigners who often hang out in Kemang,” said Hengki Haryadi, head of the Tanjung Priok Police.
Meanwhile, Martua Taripar Laut Silitonga, head of narcotics investigations at the Tanjung Priok police, explained that this particular strain of weed is expensive is because it’s among the best in the world.
“It’s called Thai stick and it’s famous among foreigners in Asia. Initially this strain was famous in the Middle East,” Martua said.
We don’t mean to be blunt (hah!), but the smugglers should’ve known that death is the ultimate penalty for drug smuggling in Indonesia. As such, according to Indonesian Drug Laws no. 35 of 2009, the smugglers could face the death penalty or a fine of Rp. 13 billion.
