A Growing Economy Leaves Indonesia Vulnerable to Drug Traffickers: Minister
Jakarta. Indonesia's growing economy has made it a choice market for a wide range of enterprises, including the drug trade, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on Friday (23/02).
On Feb. 20, police and customs officials seized more than 1.6 tons of methamphetamine, locally known as sabu, from four Taiwanese nationals previously suspected of illegal fishing.
"In line with the growth of Indonesia’s economy, the middle class is also growing. Because of that, there is also a rise in demand [for drugs]," Sri Mulyani said in Batam, Riau Islands.
According to the minister, Indonesian authorities seized more than 2 tons of narcotics stemming from 342 separate instances last year. In the first two months of 2018, police have already seized nearly 3 tons of narcotics.
Indonesia's status as an archipelago nation, with huge swaths of sea susceptible to smuggling operations, makes it vulnerable for a rise in narcotics trafficking.
National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said at a press conference in Batam that the four Taiwanese nationals caught smuggling the narcotics will be brought to Jakarta for further investigation.
One suspect claims he was requested by an individual from mainland China, known as Lao, to carry the meth to Indonesia. He claims to not have known of the contents of the package he was requested to carry.
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