Civil Servant Turns Home into Marijuana Farm, Police Raid

Police in Bandung Regency, West Java, have apprehended a civil servant for allegedly converting his home into a marijuana cultivation site in the Cileunyi area. During a raid on Friday afternoon (18/9), officers from the Bandung City Police's Narcotics Investigation Unit discovered dozens of marijuana plants at the residence. The house had been transformed into a marijuana farm, with plants found in various stages of growth, from mature and ready for harvest to seedlings. The investigation began following a tip-off about alleged drug abuse involving a man identified by the initials AS (49) in the Surapati-Cicaheum (Suci) area of Bandung city. Authorities pursued the lead, leading to an arrest and subsequently the raid on the Cileunyi home. "Yesterday, September 16th, at 4 PM, we received information about drug abuse on Suci Street. We followed our target to the second crime scene, which is here at the Bumi Orange housing complex in Cileunyi," stated Kompol Oliestha Ageng Wicaksana, Head of the Bandung City Police Narcotics Unit, as quoted by detikJabar. Oliestha explained that the raided house was owned by AS and he lived there with his wife and children. AS was present during the raid and showed the police the marijuana he had planted. "At the second location, we found approximately 8 marijuana plants that were about four and a half months old," he said. "There were also 28 marijuana plants that were only a few weeks old," he added. The marijuana was grown in pots and polybags in the backyard of the house. The perpetrator had also installed UV lamps and black netting to regulate the temperature and humidity of the cultivation area. "Among the evidence secured from the suspect were marijuana plants and communication devices, among other items," Oliestha revealed. Investigations revealed that AS is a civil servant with PPPK (Fixed-Term Public Employee) status, working at a ministry office in Bandung city. "AS works as a civil servant at a public works ministry office in Bandung city," Oliestha stated at the scene on Friday, as quoted by detikJabar. Furthermore, a urine test confirmed that AS was positive for the use of several types of narcotics, including methamphetamine and marijuana. "We conducted a test on the individual we apprehended and found that he had also tested positive for the consumption of several types of narcotics, including methamphetamine and marijuana," he explained. In this case, the perpetrator will be held accountable under Articles 114 and 111 Paragraph 2 of Law Number 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics. "The penalty is imprisonment ranging from 6 years to a maximum of 20 years," Oliestha said. The police are currently investigating the origin of the marijuana seeds that the suspect planted in his home. Source: CNN Indonesia