Bangkok, Feb 3 (EFE).- Jakarta police have arrested 135 people for selling and using drugs in a series of raids spanning two weeks, targeting the capital city's known narcotics hotspots, local news reports Wednesday.
During the police sweep of nightclubs, suspect neighborhoods and known dens - carried out citywide in the last two weeks of January - officers seized 23.1 kilograms of marijuana, 10,600 ecstasy pills and 6.1 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, with a total value of Rp 11.6 billion ($846,407).
One Hong Kong citizen and four Taiwanese men were also arrested, while sixty weapons and various drug paraphernalia were confiscated during the operations concentrated in areas notorious for drug cartels, according to the head of the Jakarta Police narcotics unit Eko Danianto, as reported by the Jakarta Post newspaper.
During one foray into the Berlan area of East Jakarta on Jan. 18, a gang of alleged drug dealers attacked police officers as they tried to arrest a suspect, killing one officer and one police informant.
The crowd, armed with weapons, had chased the officers to the banks of the Ciliwung River, forcing four of them to jump into the river to escape harm.
The suspect was eventually arrested after dozens of policemen were dispatched to the area.
The Jakarta police say they plan to continue the drugs crackdown in the 9.6-million strong metropolis, with upcoming sweeps planned for prisons, where drug abuse among inmates is common.
"This operation is high profile and involves very many officers," said Eko.
References
- ^ Jakarta drugs crackdown imprisons 135 suspects, kills 2 in Indonesia (www.laprensasa.com)
