Pubdate: Wed, 28 Aug 2002
Source: Jakarta Post (Indonesia)
Copyright: The Jakarta Post
Contact:  http://www.thejakartapost.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/645
Author: Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)

POLICE SEIZE ONE TON OF HEROIN NEAR MEDAN

MEDAN, Indonesia -- Greater Medan Police officers confiscated nearly 1 ton 
of heroin on Tuesday in one of the country's largest drug hauls ever.

The heroin was recovered from the houses of three men in Dusun XII Bandar 
Khalifah, Deli Serdang regency.

Police detectives' chief Adj. Comr. Maruli Siahaan said the raid on the 
houses in the early hours of Tuesday followed the carrying out of 
surveillance in the housing complex over three days.

The three houses are located side by side.

Maruli said the police had detained the suspects, identified as Halim 
Siregar, 48, Ngatimin, 33, and Faisal Lubis, 30, and were questioning 10 
neighbors as witnesses in connection with the finding of the 954.6 
kilograms of heroin.

"We broke into the house of Abdul Halim, who then led us to the other 
suspects," Maruli explained. Maruli said he suspected the men had been 
using the houses to store heroin for quite some time.

Halim denied the accusation that he stored the heroin, saying it belonged 
to a man named Hidayat Efendi, whom he said had entrusted the drugs to him 
for four months.

"I don't know who the man is. He entrusted that heroin to me when he 
arrived from Aceh. I took him up on his offer as he promised me Rp 100,000 
(US$136) per month," Abdul told reporters.

Aceh is widely known as being home to thousands of hectares of marijuana 
plantations.

Halim further said that he knew nothing about, and was not involved in, the 
heroin business run by Hidayat.

Following Halim's testimony, the police put Hidayat Efendi's name on the 
wanted list.
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