destroyed billions of rupiah worth of drugs confiscated from two suspected traffickers from Iran.

National Narcotics Agency on Monday destroyed billions of rupiah worth of drugs confiscated from two suspected traffickers from Iran. Brig. Gen. Tommy Sagiman, operational chief at the agency, also known as the BNN, told reporters that they had destroyed 1.39 kg of crystal methamphetamine with a street value of more than Rp 3 billion ($324,000). Also on Monday, the BNN destroyed nearly 10,000 pills of ecstasy, worth Rp 150,000 each, which were also confiscated from the same suspects. The haul was seized from two alleged drug smugglers, identified as Muhammad Reza Asadi and Abdollah Heidar Igharjegghiyaei, both Iranian nationals, who were arrested while trying to smuggle the drugs into the country through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in December. Two other suspected traffickers from the same drug ring are still being pursued by police. Tommy said that BNN investigations were continuing and included interrogations of the two detained Iranians.
“We already have some clues but can’t publicize them yet because we are still investigating the case,” he added. Police officials have said that there has been a significant shift in the profile of international drug traffickers coming into the country, from Africans and Asians to Iranians. Since October 2009, more than 25 Iranians have been arrested at various ports on drug smuggling charges. “International drug syndicates have altered their strategy from using African and Asian nationals to Iranians,” Sumirat Dwiyanto, a BNN spokesman, told the Jakarta Globe in December. “African nationals are still considered strangers by Indonesians,” he said. “On the other hand, Iranians are considered more familiar because of their religious similarities. These international syndicates think that we would be fooled by that.” Tommy said that Chinese drug syndicates had also increased their operations in Iran.