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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Crime & Justice

Indonesian Minister Urges Anti-Drug Agency to Prioritize Prevention Over Arrests

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Djamari Chaniago, urged the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) not to be complacent about drug arrests.
  • Chaniago emphasized that true success lies in preventing drugs from entering the country and being rejected by the public, not just in high arrest numbers.
  • He highlighted Indonesia's vulnerability to drug trafficking due to its geography and called for strengthened eradication efforts, while the BNN reported arresting 1,259 drug trade perpetrators between 2024-2026.

Indonesia's top security minister has cautioned the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) against celebrating large numbers of drug arrests, stressing that genuine success in combating narcotics hinges on preventing their entry and public rejection. Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Djamari Chaniago, stated during an International Anti-Narcotics Day commemoration that "the measure of our success is not mass arrests." He argued that effective prevention efforts would lead to a situation where no narcotics enter the country and citizens themselves reject them.

The measure of our success is not mass arrests.

— Djamari ChaniagoStressing that the effectiveness of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) should be measured by prevention, not just arrests.

Chaniago described the drug trade in Indonesia as being in a "very critical stage," exacerbated by the nation's archipelagic geography, which makes it susceptible to drug smuggling, particularly via sea routes. He urged the BNN to intensify its eradication efforts, framing the task as a "duty for this world and the hereafter" aimed at saving lives and the nation. The minister's remarks come as the BNN reports a significant number of arrests, with Chief Commissioner General Suyudi Ario Seto stating that 1,259 individuals involved in the drug trade were apprehended between 2024 and 2026.

If our prevention is successful, then there will be no more drugs (narcotics) entering the country, and the people themselves will reject them.

— Djamari ChaniagoDefining the ultimate goal of anti-narcotics efforts as complete prevention and public rejection of drugs.

These arrests were made during anti-narcotics operations across 34 provinces. Suyudi noted that drug traffickers have become increasingly organized, even fortifying themselves with weapons to resist law enforcement. "These drug lords are very well-prepared to fight against officers," Suyudi stated. He further elaborated on the BNN's strategy, which includes not only apprehending dealers but also crippling their financial networks. "We are not satisfied with just making arrests; there is a spirit to impoverish the kingpins," Suyudi added, underscoring a commitment to dismantling the economic foundations of drug trafficking operations.

The drug trade in Indonesia is actually in a very critical stage.

— Djamari ChaniagoDescribing the severity of the drug problem in Indonesia.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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