The National Police have arrested six Indonesians and two Malaysians ' alleged members of a drug syndicate ' for smuggling illegal drugs from Hong Kong and Malaysia into the country and distributing them.



The police's narcotics crime director, Brig. Gen. Arman Depari, said on Monday that the police had detained the suspects after separate raids in Banten and Medan, North Sumatra.



During the raids, police confiscated a total of 6 kilograms (kg) of drugs, including ecstasy and crystal methamphetamine (known locally as shabu-shabu).



The police also came across drugs that are not listed in the Narcotics Law.



'Among the items seized were Methylone, Krathom and LSD [lysergic acid diethylamide], also known as 'smiles',' Arman said during a press conference at his office in East Jakarta.



According to Arman, LSD, which is sold in stamp-sized thin paper envelopes, provides users with intense visual and aural hallucinations.



Methylone is a synthetic derivative of cathinone with an effect similar to that of ecstasy. Arman said methylone tablets were becoming more popular among young people.



'Krathom is a tree that is commonly found [in Southeast Asia]. The drug Krathom, which is still relatively unknown among drug users, can cause hallucinations, euphoria and depression,' he said.



He added that the police arrested the first three suspects, identified only as HM, JN and DE, at the Mahkota Mas housing complex in Tangerang, Banten, on Nov. 4. They have been charged with distributing shabu-shabu and LSD.



The police, in collaboration with the Customs and Excise Directorate General at the Law and Human Rights Ministry, also detained two Malaysians, identified as Yong and Bao, at Soekarno Hatta International Aiport in Tangerang, Banten, on Nov. 6.



The two were caught attempting to smuggle into the country 2 kg of shabu-shabu from Hong Kong.



Two days later, the police arrested three other suspected members of the syndicate, identified as RD, PD and GN, in Medan.



'The three sold shabu-shabu that a man called Alay brought in from Malaysia,' Arman said, adding that police were still hunting for Alay.



The suspects will be charged under the 2009 Narcotics Law for smuggling and distributing shabu-shabu and ecstasy.



As for the other, non-listed drugs smuggled into the country, Arman said the police would prosecute the men under the Health Law.



'Considering that the new narcotics are not listed in the Narcotics Law, we will charge them under the Health Law,' Arman said, referring to the law's articles 102 and 113 on the unauthorized distribution of addictive substances.



This is not the first time new types of drugs have complicated the efforts of law enforcers.



In February, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) arrested popular TV host Raffi Ahmad for possession of two marijuana joints and 14 pills containing the drug methylone. The BNN charged Raffi under several articles of the Narcotics Law, which carried a maximum sentence of 12 years' imprisonment.



Raffi's legal team argued that he could not be prosecuted for possessing methylone, as it was not listed in the Narcotics Law.



After months of media attention, the East Jakarta District Court ordered Raffi to join a three-month rehabilitation program.

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