TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Troels Vester, manager of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said that drug abuse cases in Indonesia have increased over the past five to 10 years. "The average growth is 10 percent a year," he said on Tuesday, March 3, 2015.
Vester explained that one of the main cause if the increase is the relation between supply and demand. Vester said that demands for drugs in Indonesia is increasing. Moreover, Indonesia drug dealers can now apparently produce methamphetamine, a fact that was revealed after the recent discovery of 200 methamphetamine factories in the country.
Vester warned that drug dealing have becoming an organized crime in Indonesia. "We estimate that Indonesia has a methamphetamine production worth more than US$1 billion," he said. "This is a very profitable business for these illegal goods producers."
Bali Moniaga, expert staff of legal and international division at the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), confirmed that Indonesia is currently experiencing a drug emergency.
In order to solve the problem, Vester said the Indonesian government must implement a balanced solution, meaning that the battle against drugs must come from all elements. On one hand, drug users must not be directly put to jail, but should be rehabilitated.
On the other hand, Indonesia needs to have better records of intelligence and profiles of port containers. This factor is important because the material to make methamphetamine must be stopped when entering the port. In reality, nothing is often found in containers.
ATMI PERTIWI
