RI Police Looking For Int'l Drug Smuggling Ship

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Indonesian police are looking for a cargo vessel that was used by an international narcotic drug syndicate to smuggle crystal methamphetamine into the country through Ujung Genteng, a coastal village in Sukabumi, West Java, on Friday morning.

"We have contacted the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to help us find the ship because according to several suspects it is carrying a lot of weapons," the head of the National Police's public relations division, Inspector General Saud Usman Nasution, said here on Saturday.

He said the cargo ship was believed to be heading  to  Australia because when it was chased by a helicopter it increased its speed and then entered international waters.

The ship dropped an Iranian and three Somalian citizens as well as around 70 kilograms of methamphetamine into a lifeboat which then headed toward the traditional port of Ujung Genteng, he said.

"Three Iranian citizens were shot dead after they fought back to defy arrest and opened fire while another one was successfully arrested after being shot in the thigh," he said.

He said the police were still developing the case by interrogating seven Iranian suspects who were  caught in the operation to see if they were also involved in illegal arms trading.

"We are still developing the case to see if this case is part of an illegal arms trading operation. What is clear is that based on the suspects' information the ship was carrying firearms and when we caught them they also carried guns," he said.

He said the five Iranians who were caught on January 16, 2012 proved to be couriers at the Ujung Genteng traditional port. Another Iranian was caught  after his lifeboat was hit by waves and two other Iranians died after their lifeboat sank.(T007)