Envoy: Indonesia very serious about drug smuggling

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
JAYAPURA-based consul-general Geoffrey Wiri is calling on Papua New Guineans to refrain from smuggling drugs into Indonesia.
He said that yesterday after reports of undercover Indonesian police intelligence officers luring four men from West Sepik with a motor bike in exchange for 41kgs of marijuana and betel nuts at Yako village in Vanimo.
“The intelligence officers and the boat operator then took them to Jayapura last week and handed them over to Indonesian police,” he said.
“These men are now in police custody which I cannot do anything about.
“I have carried out awareness on West Sepik provincial radio to warn people not to get involved in drug smuggling into Indonesia.
“Indonesians are very serious about combating drug smuggling. Their drug enforcement officers will do all they can to enforce their drug laws.”
Papua police spokesman Ahmad Mustofa Kamal told Indonesian media that four PNG men were arrested in Jayapura.
“They were arrested when they wanted to sell the marijuana they smuggled,” he said.
Kamal said they had information that these suspects had brought marijuana into Indonesia.
“They were caught in a market with a bag of marijuana. When further questioned, they revealed that two more suspects were in a hotel.
“We moved to the hotel and arrested two others.
“We also confiscated another bag of marijuana from them in the hotel.”
Kamal said these suspects, if convicted by an Indonesian court, would face 12 years in jail or a fine of K200,000 (8 billion rupiah).