Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The Ministry of Finance’s Directorate General of Customs and Excise and the Indonesian National Police  (INP)’s Criminal Agency have foiled two cases of ecstasy smuggling concealed within shipping parcels from Belgium and the Netherlands. 

The uncovering of these cases also led to the confiscation of over 20,000 ecstasy pills.

"We've prevented the state from incurring losses due to these smuggling attempts," sid R. Syarif Hidayat, Director of Narcotics Interdiction at the Customs and Excise Directorate General, during a press briefing on Wednesday (8/5/2024).

He detailed that the first interception pertained to a parcel originating from Belgium, which arrived at the Pasar Baru Post Office on 5 April 2024. 

The parcel was falsely labeled as "car parts set special for Honda", as reported by antaranews.com.

Upon inspection, six transparent plastic packages containing 18,259 ecstasy pills, weighing a total of 9.6 kilograms, were discovered.

Subsequently, another case involved a shipment from the Netherlands received at the Pasar Baru Post Office on 22 April 2024. Despite being declared as a magazine, the inspection revealed two transparent plastic packages holding 2,013 ecstasy pills, weighing 1.06 kilograms.

"While there's no direct financial loss to the state, our intervention has effectively curbed potential expenditures. Left unchecked, these smuggling activities could lead to societal costs, such as rehabilitation and reduced productivity," clarified Hidayat.

The suspects face charges under Law Number 35 of 2009 regarding Narcotics, with penalties including the possibility of death or life imprisonment.

(mg/ay/hn/nm)