REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PONTIANAK -- The West Kalimantan National Narcotics Agency (BNN) has destroyed 4.5 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine that the agency's officers confiscated in January 2019 using an incinerator. The destroyed crystal meth was the evidence of two drug crimes uncovered by the agency's officers in January, the West Kalimantan National Narcotics Agency officer, Mashadi Eka Surya Agus, told journalists here on Tuesday.

Quoting the BNN's statistical data, the agency's officers had seized 110 kilograms of crystal meth, 9,600 ecstasy pills, and 39 marijuana plants from several raids conducted between 2016 and early 2019, he stated.

These seized addictive drugs indicated that West Kalimantan had become one of the drug traffickers' targets, Agus noted, adding that the University of Indonesia (UI) research findings revealed that the drugs had affected 56,444 residents of the province.

"In the past, West Kalimantan might have been used by the international drug rings as a transit area, but, now, it has become a destination of the drug traffickers," he remarked.

In dealing with the drug-related problem, a collaborative effort and synergy were needed. Therefore, the law enforcers need to work with other related authorities and community members to win the war on drug dealers, he stressed. As a result, the synergy of all stakeholders would help minimize the misuse of addictive drugs among members of young generation, he added.

Indonesia is indeed perceived by both local and trans-national drug dealers as their potential market because of its huge population and millions of drug users. The BNN noted that some 50 Indonesians die of illicit drugs every day, while the total number of drug users in the country has reached seven million, and the value of the drug trade in the country is estimated to have reached at least Rp66 trillion.

On Jan 30, 2019, the National Narcotics Agency succeeded in thwarting an attempt to smuggle some 1.4 tons of marijuana into Banten and West Java Provinces. Considering the above reality, drug trafficking activities have appeared to be an ongoing threat to Indonesia¿s security and human resources.

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