Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian customs officers at Ngurah Rai International Airport had arrested a Filipino woman named Carolina Sarmiento for attempting to smuggle 2.5 kilograms of heroin into the country.

"The suspect flew to Denpasar, Bali, by Air Asia flight number AK-364 from Kuala Lumpur. She arrived at 7.30 pm local time on Monday," spokesperson for the Indonesian Customs Office Evy Suhartantyo said here Tuesday.

Sarmiento attempted to cheat the on-duty customs officers by concealing the heroin inside the hard-case of her luggage, she said.

Suhartantyo said the smuggled heroin`s market price was expected to reach Rp5 billion.

In another development, the customs officers in Riau`s port town of Dumai also foiled the efforts of a woman believed to come from Malaysia to smuggle 220 grams of Shabu-Shabu methamphetamine drugs.

The suspect who arrived at Dumai Port on Sunday by Malaysian Ekspres Ferry hid the Shabu-Shabu packages in her trousers but the customs officers could find them.

Dumai is vulnerable to drug trafficking syndicate activities due to its geographical position which directly borders with Malaysia.

Last February, the Indonesian police in Riau town of Dumai also worked closely with their Malaysian counterparts to bust Southeast Asian drug trafficking rings.

Over the past few months, the Indonesian police in Dumai had arrested several suspected drug traffickers and seized 3.9 kilograms of methamphetamine drugs.

In halting trans-national drug trafficking activities into eastern parts of Indonesia, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) has chosen Miangas Island as the information center.

BNN Chief Gories Mere said recently that Miangas was the "eyes and ears" because that island had a potential to be used as drug traffickers as their basis.

Miangas is an Indonesian island, which directly borders with the Philippines. It belongs to the North Sulawesi Province.

Indonesia is among a number of Asian countries being seriously threatened by drug smuggling syndicates.

The BNN reported there were 3.6 million drug users in Indonesia in 2008. (*)

Editor: B Kunto Wibisono
COPYRIGHT © 2012

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