TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The National Narcotics Agency have discovered new routes of smuggling drugs into the country on an international scale. "International drug lords are using new routes to avoid careful examinations at points with high security levels," said Deputy Chief of drug smuggling operations, National Narcotics Agency (BNN), Brig. Gen. Benny Mamoto, at his office, on September 11. The new route is by taking a detour through Timor Leste. In the past, methamphetamine (sabu) was smuggled through Malaysia or Singapore before entering Indonesia through major airports, such as Soekarno-Hatta in Jakarta, Juanda in Surabaya, or Polonia in Medan. "The smugglers are smuggling the prohibited goods using the new route to take advantage of the smaller airports that have a more lax security," said Benny. This is the new route for top quality sabu: from Iran to Turkey- India-Malaysia or Singapore-then Dili, Timor Leste. From there, it travels by air, land, or sea, through any cities in Indonesia where security is slack to major cities to be sold. The usual transit points are Surabaya, Jakarta, Tangerang, and Medan. "Usually, it is sent by air through Atambua, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and then to Kupang before being flown to Jakarta," said Benny. Both cities have domestic airports without any customs clearance making it easier for dealers to smuggle the sabu. If they find security too tight and difficult to breach, says Benny, the narcotics syndicate will divert their shipment to land route without inspection points and sea route by hiring a fishing boat or by boarding a regular ferry. The new route, says Benny, was uncovered when BNN was investigating an international-scale narcotics network involving 10 suspects with the initials ES, HS, SA, G, C, HJ, HW, WY, G, and R in August. All of them are citizens of Indonesia who workas couriers for smugglers. In the operation, BNN successfully seized sabu of topnotch quality weighing 8,689.2 grams. "Currently, the case is still being developed," said Benny. BNN is trying to find out the real masterminds behind the smuggling of thousands of grams of sabu. BNN believes there are strong indications that the drug overlord comes from Nigeria and is an old hand at the forbidden business. RAFIKA AULIA