0 2012 marks another drug year for Bali

Foreign drug traffickers and dealers have long found Bali a lucrative market for this illicit trade, with 22 of them attempting but failing to enter the island between January and December 2012. Adj. Comr Ni Made Asmiriwati, head of Bali Police’s narcotic guidance and operations, told journalists in a wrap-up report on 2012 over the weekend that the majority of drug traffickers were operating in large-scale and international drug syndicates. “Most of them are disguised as couriers or traffickers for drugs owned by other parties. 

In fact, couriers are an important part of any international drug syndicate,” explained Asmiriwati. Asian countries, especially Thailand, have become the largest producers and exporters of various narcotics to the region, including Bali. Bali Police recorded 22 foreigners involved in drug cases in 2012, including citizens of the US, Australia, Italy, India, the UK, Japan, Germany, Malaysia, France, Russia, Spain and Thailand. They were arrested at Ngurah Rai International Airport upon arrival, or in their villas, hotel rooms or rental houses in Denpasar, Badung, Tabanan and Karangasem regencies. 

“Some of them were arrested while holidaying in Bali,” the police added. Asmiriwati continued, saying that foreigners had to understand Indonesian law regarding narcotics. “Some of them already understood and had no courage to traffic the illegal drugs via air. This, of course, does not mean that they were not delivering and trafficking the drugs overland via ferry ports and fishing ports across Bali,” she said. Overland drug traffic, she admitted, was difficult to track as it was quite sophisticated in terms of its delivery and operation systems. 

“The police still have limited high-tech equipment to detect and to monitor overland drug trafficking operations,” she said. Numerous drug dealers stayed in private villas and elite and exclusive residences, which made it difficult for the police to arrest suspects without adequate preliminary evidence. The Bali Police unraveled numerous drug cases with evidence of 34.2 kilograms of narcotics of various types, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, crystal methamphetamine and hashish, a significant increase compared to more than 23 kilograms of illegal drugs seized in 2011. 

“With the increasing amount of confiscated drugs, the Bali Police have had quite a big task to deal with the drug issue. The police, all legal enforcers and the community, have a joint responsibility to fight against drugs. Drugs remain Bali’s most dangerous and crucial issue,” the police spokesperson said. Bali’s prisons are still home to hundreds of inmates involved in major drug cases, including the Australian Bali Nine drug syndicate and the famed Ganja Queen Schapelle Corby.

source : bali daily