Jakarta is main drug market

International News, National News

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Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian has said that Jakarta is the main market for drug traffickers, in comparison with other cities in Southeast Asia. According to Tito, 1,526 drug traffickers are foreigners, mostly from Malaysia, China, Nigeria and Taiwan.

“It is alarming for us that the international drug networks have controlled drug circulation in this country,” said Tito as quoted by tempo.co after attending a burning ceremony of seized drugs worth Rp 1.2 trillion (US$86.58 million) in Jakarta on Thursday.

He said all relevant parties had to work hard to make counter efforts to prevent drug trafficking in the country because it would destroy the great potential of Indonesia’s youth. “Drugs have become our common enemy,” he stressed.

The Jakarta Police’s drugs division on Thursday destroyed 670 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, 637,085 ecstasy pills, 18.5 kilograms of marijuana and 2.5 kilograms of ketamine. They were smuggled into Jakarta from June to September.

According to Tito, the drugs seized this year increased significantly compared to those seized last year.

The crystal methamphetamine seized this year increased by 1,320 percent to 672.85 kilograms from 43.8 kilograms last year; ecstasy pills increased by 2,217 percent to 641,451 from 2,763 pills last year; and marijuana decreased by 1,542 percent to 26.1 kilometers from 472.3 kilograms last year.

Tito said that the drugs were now not only consumed by rich people, but had spread widely into all classes of society.