Posted by THE JAKARTA POST on
The Jakarta Police drug squad swung into action Wednesday after receiving a tip-off about members of an international drug syndicate about to meet in a hotel room in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta
The Jakarta Police drug squad swung into action Wednesday after receiving a tip-off about members of an international drug syndicate about to meet in a hotel room in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta
In a joint raid with the Jakarta Immigration Office and the Jakarta Narcotics Body (BNP Jakarta), the police found 10 people claiming to be Nigerian nationals gathered in a hotel room
They found no proof to implicate the men in drug trafficking, but five were still arrested because they were not carrying proper immigration documents
The five were arrested and handed to the immigration office for deportation
Comr. Sigit Humantio from the police's narcotics division, who led the raid said that three others failed to show their passports while two others held visas that had already expired two weeks ago
"There is no proof that they were members of drug syndicate ... We arrested five of them, two for overstaying their permits," he added
The immigration office had not yet said when the deportation would take place
In addition to drug trafficking, the police are also on high alert over foreign visitors
Following the Bali terrorist attack Oct. 1, the police, in coordination with the Jakarta administration officials have conducted a series of raids on luxury apartments, low-cost apartments, hotels, rented houses and boarding houses to check on visitors or people who do not have proper citizenship documents and identity cards
A report provided by the immigration office has shown that at least 1,901 foreigners were deported in 2005 for violating their stay permits
Many of the violators misused their visas as illegal workers or prostitutes, others for holding expired visas
The report also showed that immigration violators from Nigeria were often involved in drug-related businesses
An official at the Jakarta Population and Civil Registration Agency, Edison Sianturi, earlier said that many foreign citizens were not registered with his office as they either came to Indonesia illegally or did not renew their permits
He also said that with a number of foreigners entering the country and Jakarta, terrorists, prostitutes, drug dealers and other criminals could easily hide among ordinary expatriates. Copyright 2006 The Jakarta Post