Heri Prastowo cracks down on drugs
Multa Fidrus
Multa Fidrus
The Jakarta Post, Tangerang
Walking on a pair of crutches, policeman 1st Brig. Heri Prastowo dragged his feet into the Tangerang District Court to testify as a key witness against Akuang, a coral reef exporter tried for drug possession last week.
"I can't stand staying home all day long, and I can't wait to go back to work as usual, but my knee...," Heri told The Jakarta Post on April 2 at the District Court.
Heri, an officer with the Tangerang Police, broke his right knee as he tried to intercept a truck carrying 955 kilograms of shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine).
That was in August 2006, when motorcycle taxi (ojek) driver Ncang arrived around 2 a.m. to the Teluk Naga district guard post, where Heri was on duty, and reported seeing a group of people engaged in suspicious activity in front of a construction material kiosk. He said the group was transferring small boxes from a Toyota Avanza into a small box truck on Jl. Raya Kali Baru.
"As an officer in charge at the guard post that time, I had to be responsive and follow up on any reports from community members," Heri told the Post.
Acting on the tip from the ojek driver, Heri got on his motorcycle and first went to Kosar, asking the village security chief to accompany him.
When they reached the street indicated by Ncang, the two observed the situation from a distance.
"At first, I thought the box truck was only transferring building materials. But when we approached it, the driver started the engine and moved," he said.
Heri and Kosar followed the truck until it stopped in a dark area near the Kali Baru bridge, but nobody got out of the vehicle.
Kosar excused himself temporarily to tend to bodily needs, and it was during this interlude that the box truck moved again and passed right in front of Heri.
So he stopped the truck and asked the driver for the vehicle's documents.
"There were two men in the vehicle," he recalled. "The one behind the wheel pulled out an envelope and handed it to me but I rejected it."
"There were two men in the vehicle," he recalled. "The one behind the wheel pulled out an envelope and handed it to me but I rejected it."
Heri realized that the driver was trying to bribe him. He then ordered the two to open the cargo box, but they reportedly answered in English, "No key, no key". Because the policeman and the men in the truck could not communicate properly, Heri told the driver to follow him to the police station.
As Heri, on his motorcycle, led the box truck toward the police station, the Avanza he had seen earlier overtook him. At the same time, the box truck rammed into him from the rear, breaking his right leg.
Heri found he could not get up and the truck disappeared. He contacted the police station for back-up. Local residents approached to help, and took him to a nearby house for a traditional bone massage. In the morning, he was taken to a hospital for further treatment.
"I recognized the box truck from when a number of local residents attacked PT Sarana Putra, a coral reef exporting company owned by Akuang," he said, adding that the police found the truck, with its entire load of drugs, abandoned behind the Teluk Naga District Office.
On Aug. 29, Tangerang Police confiscated the crystal methamphetamine worth Rp 600 billion -- it was the second biggest drug bust in Indonesian history, following the November raid of a drug-manufacturing factory in Cikande, Serang, Banten.
The drug was packed in 95 packing cartons inside the truck, each carton holding five bars of crystal meth weighing 2 kilograms each.
In addition, police seized a map of Jakarta and Tangerang, two walkie-talkies, one satellite phone and one Global Positioning System device.
Following the discovery of the truck, Tangerang Police traced the vehicle's ownership and arrested 42-year-old Samin Iwan, alias Akuang bin Kasmat.
Tangerang Police arrested 13 suspects for questioning, including Akuang and his assistant Boim Santosa, his truck driver Romli Hasan and Udin Kasman, the captain of the vessel used to transport the drugs from a cargo ship anchored at sea to Teluk Naga.
During the course of their investigation, Tangerang Police uncovered three Hong Kong citizens -- identified only as Ahua, Mr. Chen and Mr. Lou -- suspected of active involvement in the crystal meth deal. The three are thought to be members of a international drug syndicate that intended to distribute the 955 kg of shabu-shabu. Police, however, were unable to track down the three, who remain at large.
Meanwhile, Akuang, Boim, Romli and Udin were indicted for drug trafficking and were tried at the district court.
Akuang owns PT Sang Putra, which provided the truck for transporting the crystal meth, and the coral reef exporting company is believed to be a front for the drug business.
As a reward for his contribution to the seizure of the drug, National Police chief Gen. Sutanto promoted Heri from the rank of First Brigadier to Chief Brigadier.
Meanwhile, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Adang Firman awarded him a new motorcycle -- but not the ojek driver who provided the initial tip.
Born in 1973 in Banyumas, Central Java, Heri graduated high school in Karang Anyar, Kebumen, then applied to the State Police Academy in Cisarua, Bogor, West Java, where he was accepted.
Following graduation from the academy in 1994, Heri was assigned to the Tangerang Police headquarters, then transferred to the Teluk Naga subprecinct in 2002. He is also father to two children, 8-year-old Danang and 2-year-old Pasha, from his marriage to Nursela.
Following graduation from the academy in 1994, Heri was assigned to the Tangerang Police headquarters, then transferred to the Teluk Naga subprecinct in 2002. He is also father to two children, 8-year-old Danang and 2-year-old Pasha, from his marriage to Nursela.
Nine months since the bust, Heri is still unable to walk without the aid of crutches and attends regular check-ups for his knee. He cannot yet ride his new motorcycle; nor can he don the uniform that bears his new rank.
Commenting on the possibility that his knee might be disabled, Heri said he felt lucky because he could do something to help the government fight drug abuse -- and never mind that he broke his leg in the process.
"I have to take all risks that come with my job and this is only the beginning -- and my family is aware of this," he said.
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