According to the newspaper “Tempo”, which quotes the head of inspection and investigation at Soekarno-Hatta airport customs, Zaky Firmansyah, the 22-year-old Portuguese man was detained on March 17 in terminal 3 of that airport on a flight from Lisbon with stopover in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The newspaper states that the young man’s “suspicious behavior” caught the attention of customs officials, who, when they searched his luggage, found two bottles of shampoo and a bottle of shower gel that had a “chemical odor.”
Tests on the contents of the containers “tested positive for a class I cocaine-type narcotic”, Zaky Firmansyah told Indonesian media on Monday.
“Tempo” also states that the Portuguese man said he was traveling alone, that it was the first time he was in Indonesia and that he did not own the drugs, which were given to him before traveling.
“He said the drugs were given to him three hours before the flight by someone he didn’t know,” Zaki Firmansyah said.
The head of inspection and investigation at customs at Soekarno-Hatta airport also highlighted to the newspaper that the Portuguese man said he was introduced to the person who asked him to transport the drugs by a friend in Portugal and that he was offered 6,000 euros to deliver the goods to Bali.
The Portuguese “received a ticket to fly to Bali, departing at 5:05 p.m. [do dia 17 de março]. I also had paid accommodation in the Pecatu area,” said Zaki.
The detainee and evidence were handed over to the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Crime and Narcotics Unit for further investigation.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, another Portuguese citizen was detained in connection with the same case.
The 22-year-old is accused of violating law 35/2009 on narcotics, which provides for a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment.
Tags: Portuguese man arrested drug trafficking Indonesia hid drugs shampoo bottles
