Local authorities have revealed an inmate in a high-level security prison is the alleged mastermind of a major drug trafficking operation leading to two arrests and the death of a third suspect.
The alleged mastermind is now serving 15 years at the Nusakambangan Prison and will be charged in the new case, National Police Chief Tito Karnavian said. If convicted he could be facing the death penalty.
Officers from the National Narcotics Agency and customs raided a warehouse in Banten, July 21, following a two-month-long investigation. The team found hundreds of thousands of ecstasy tablets and arrested a 39-year-old man who said the drugs had been shipping from the Netherlands. He also allegedly claimed the smuggling operation was orchestrated by the drug convict.
Police arrested another suspect in Tangerang, July 24, who was carrying 56 packages of ecstasy tablets, bringing the total seizure to over 1.2 million tablets. Three days later a third man was found with two kilograms of methamphetamine and was shot dead by police after resisting arrest.
Police estimated the street value of the haul at over $45 million.