The judge said there were seven aggravating factors, including that Teddy did not admit his actions, denied his actions by providing complicated information, and had enjoyed profits from the sale of methamphetamine.
By
ERIKA KURNIA, STEFANUS ATO
·5 minutes read
FAKHRI FADLURROHMAN
Defendant Teddy Minahasa (left) talks with attorneys after the judge's verdict was read out to him at the West Jakarta District Court, Tuesday (9/5/2023). Teddy was sentenced to life imprisonment by the judge.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Former West Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Teddy Minahasa had been sentenced to life in prison for distributing 5 kilograms of methamphetamine. Among the judge's considerations was Teddy did not admit his actions. Nevertheless, the sentence is lighter than the death penalty demanded by the prosecutors.
"The defendant is sentenced to life in prison. The defendant is ordered to remain in detention," lead judge Jon Sarman Saragih said at the West Jakarta District Court on Tuesday (9/5/2023).
Teddy was proved to have violated Article 114, paragraph 2 of Law No. 35/2009 on Narcotics in conjunction with Article 55, paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code (KUHP). He was involved with defendant Adj. Sr. Comr. Dody Prawiranegara and defendant Linda Pujiastuti in selling 5 kilograms of drugs that were seized as evidence for money. Teddy collaborated with Dody by replacing methamphetamine with alum in the police’s evidence storage, which was then given to Linda to store for selling later in Jakarta. Dody handed over money from the drug sale to Teddy.
In his consideration, the judge said there were seven aggravating factors, including that Teddy did not admit his actions, denied his actions by providing complicated information, and had enjoyed profits from the sale of methamphetamine.
Damaging police’s name
In addition, Teddy's status as a member of the police, one of the law enforcement institutions on the front line of eradicating drug trafficking, did not prevent him or his accomplices from trafficking drugs. Furthermore, the defendant's actions had damaged the good name of the police institution.
"The defendant's actions as regional police chief have betrayed the President's orders on law enforcement and the eradication of illicit drug trafficking. The defendant did not support the government’s program on combating illicit drug trafficking," said Jon.
The defendant did not support the government’s program on combating illicit drug trafficking.
On the other hand, a mitigating factor was that the defendant had no previous conviction. The defendant had also served the state through the National Police for approximately 30 years and had received many awards from the state.
Head of the West Jakarta Prosecutor's Office Iwan Ginting responded to the verdict and sentence after the trial, saying that his team would discuss the judge's decision before taking further steps.
Meanwhile, Teddy’s lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea said he was grateful that the judge did not impose a death sentence as the prosecutors had demanded. However, he would still file an appeal.
FAKHRI FADLURROHMAN
Defendant Inspector General Teddy Minahasa stands listening to the reading of the judge's verdict against him at the West Jakarta District Court, Tuesday (9/5/2023).
Kampung Bahari Case
Meanwhile, Kampung Bahari in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, was again raided by police officers on Monday (8/5/2023). A drug trafficker was arrested and 25 grams of methamphetamine was confiscated. The police have mounted repeated raids, but have not yet broken the chain of drug trafficking there.
Head of the North Jakarta Police Narcotics Unit Comr. Slamet Riyanto said the raid was launched after they received information about drug deals and abuse in one of the alleys in Kampung Bahari. The raid, which took place at 5:30 a.m. on Monday, met with resistance from local residents.
"There were some residents who fought and attacked officers using stones and lengths of wood. We then asked for help from members from the North Jakarta Police’s Criminal Investigation Department," Slamet said on Monday evening. Slamet said that the raid on Kampung Bahari, which involved a joint team of 75 personnel, was part of an operation to break the drug trafficking chain in the area, which had long been known as a drug kampung. Police arrested three people, namely one trafficker and two drug users, during the raid.
"We arrested a trafficker with the initials RR to undergo legal proceedings. As for the two users with the initials PP and US, we want them to be rehabilitated," said Slamet.
In addition to arresting the three people, the police also confiscated 25.32 grams of methamphetamine, one digital scale, and various evidence in the form of 35 bongs, and 33 pipes. Officers seized the evidence from the drug trafficker and also during a search of homes around the railroad tracks near Tanjung Priok Station.
Kampung Bahari has long been known as a drug area. Even former National Police official Insp. Gen. Teddy Minahasa was also suspected of involvement in Kampung Bahari’s drug trade through an intermediary.
In addition to the case around Teddy, police have made regular attempts to clean up Kampung Bahari. On 30 Nov. 2022, for example, the police raided Kampung Bahari, confiscating 116.97 grams of methamphetamine and arresting six people suspected of drug abuse. Local residents responded to the police raid by launching firecrackers against the officers.
We arrested a trafficker with the initials RR to undergo legal proceedings.
The situation was not very different when the Jakarta Police and North Jakarta Police raided Kampung Bahari on 9 March 2022. At that time, the police arrested 26 people and confiscated 350 grams of methamphetamine, 1,500 ecstasy pills, and millions of rupiah in cash.
Drug-related crimes have been prevalent in Kampung Bahari since at least since 8 Nov. 2013. Workers in the Tanjung Priok Port were the target of distribution. The drugs distributed to port workers came from Sumatra and Cianjur, West Java. Of the three traffickers arrested by the police, two were residents of Kampung Bahari.
The arrest of the two perpetrators from Kampung Bahari provided an entry to tracing new nests of drug dealers in Jakarta. One year later on 8 Nov. 2014, the police mounted their first raid on Kampung Bahari. The police arrested 36 people and confiscated 300 grams of methamphetamine, 500 ecstasy pills, and 2 kilograms of marijuana.
