A number of discoveries of illegal hard drug products in various cities led the police to find the factory in Yogyakarta. Operating since 2018, this factory is capable of producing 240 million pills a month. The raw material comes from China.
The operation, codenamed Anti Pills Koplo 2021, started on September 6, 2021. Within a week, the police found illegal drug trafficking syndicates in a number of areas in West Java and Jakarta. This was explained by the Director of Drug Crimes, the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim), Brigadier General Krisno Halomoan Siregar, in Yogyakarta, Monday (27/9).
“This case began with the disclosure of friends, then we analyzed it. We managed to confiscate approximately 5 million pills of various types of hard drugs and psychotropic substances in the network that we initially confiscated. We analyzed everything, and we received instructions that the shipment was from Yogya,” said Krisno.
Krisno explained the results of the operation from a factory as well as a warehouse on the west side of the city of Yogyakarta. Armed with the confiscation of 5 million pills in Jakarta and West Java, the police moved to this factory. The National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Narcotics Investigation Team and a team from the DIY Regional Police entered the factory on September 21, 2021, before midnight. It was there that the police found the scale of drug production was so large. Drug production machines, various types of chemicals or drug precursors and various types of hard drugs such as Hexymer, Trihex, DMP, double L, IRGAPHAN 200 mg were then secured.
“Based on experience, we can conclude that this is the largest (in Indonesia), the engine and the area of the place,” said Krisno. At this factory, the police also confiscated more than 30 million pills of hard drugs that had been packaged into 1,200 boxy boxes, seven pill presses, five medicine ovens, and various other machines. Police also found precursor materials, among others, Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone (PVP), Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC), Sodium Starch Glycolate (SSG), Polyoxyethylene Glycol 6000 (PEG), Dextromethorphan until Trihexyphenidyl, each weighing from tens of kilograms to hundreds of kilograms.
Krisno also said these chemicals came from China. However, so far the police have not found the involvement of foreign nationals in this production process. A total of 13 people have been arrested in the operation, and the police are continuing to develop the case. From the operation since early September, the police have collected more than 35 million pills of hard drugs as evidence.
However, there are billions of other pills that have been circulating in the community since this factory started operating three years ago. Hard drugs are drugs that can only be purchased at pharmacies with a prescription from a doctor. This product has a red circle identifying mark, with a black letter K inside.
The head of the POM Center in Yogyakarta, Dewi Prawitasari, also admitted that this hard drug factory in Yogyakarta has a very large production scale. “Indeed, this industry is not only big but very big, because the production is also extraordinary in number. Then from raw materials, auxiliary materials and machines used for production, “said Dewi.
Dewi also confirmed that a number of drug brands produced no longer have distribution permits. In addition, there are also those whose large packages are not removed because they are prone to abuse. Hard drugs themselves, allegedly produced for users who actually take advantage of its side effects. If consumed in certain amounts, these drugs have effects such as prolonged sleep, stress relief, to a relaxing effect.
“Abuse also causes the effect of euphoria, pleasure, stimulant. If we stop drinking, it can disrupt sleep, so drink again, relax again, euphoric again. Constantly like that, that is what users who abuse this drug want,” continued Dewi.
Other disorders that this strong drug allows are depression, difficulty concentrating, irritability, impaired coordination such as difficulty walking or speaking, convulsions, anxiety and hallucinations.
Besides being found in various areas in Java, the circulation of illegal hard drugs has also penetrated South Kalimantan and East Kalimantan. The Head of the Criminal Investigation Agency (Kabareskrim) of the Indonesian National Police, Komjen Agus Andrianto even said that the coverage may have been throughout Indonesia.
“In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, not only the health impacts are felt by the community, but also other concomitant impacts. Of course, the circulation of this drug is likely to cause health problems to the community, “said Komjen Agus.
With the arrests of dozens of perpetrators and understanding the distribution lines, Komjen Agus stated that the police would develop this case further.
“Later on, we will try to open up their transactions and communications, so that we can deal with this hard drug distribution network properly,” he continued. [ns/lt]
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