900 Kilograms of Drugs Destroyed in Jakarta After Series of Raids
December 6, 2016 | 4:24 pm
Jakarta. More than 900 kilograms of drugs were destroyed by officials at the National Monument in Central Jakarta on Tuesday (06/12). The event was attended by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
445 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, 422 kilograms of marijuana, 190,840 ecstacy pills and 323,000 "Happy Five" pills were set on fire during the ceremony.
"This is a huge amount," Jokowi said during the ceremony.
The president claimed 15,000 mostly young people die annually from drug abuse, and said this is the reason why his government is persisting with its so-called "war on drugs."
"Seeing this kind of evidence should convince us we're in a major war against drugs," Jokowi said.
The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) Chief Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso said the drugs destroyed during the Monas event were seized in raids in the past two months.
"BNN, the police and the Customs Office were involved in the raids. We've been working well together. We also arrested 29 suspected drug traffickers," Budi said.
The BNN chief claimed the government has saved at least three million Indonesians by seizing and destroying the drugs on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Chief Security Minister Wiranto said Indonesia's drug laws should be made even more draconian as part of the war on drugs.
Wiranto said drug traffickers and dealers have been getting away with murder, leaving many Indonesian citizens at risk of drug abuse, especially the younger generation. "This is very dangerous for Indonesia," the minister said.
Military Chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo, National Police Deputy Chief Comr. Gen. Sjafruddin and acting Jakarta governor Sumarsono also attended the event.
Tags: Keywords: