Police find man growing 13 large marijuana plants inside his apartment in West Jakarta

Most of the marijuana found in Jakarta comes from Aceh, where, despite the region’s conservative values, the plant is tolerated and popularly used as a seasoning in cooking and even coffee. But apparently ganja grown in Aceh wasn’t good enough for one man in Jakarta, who was recently busted by police for the extensive marijuana grow operation in his apartment.

On Monday, West Jakarta police arrested a 37-year-old man, identified as Derrick, for secretly raising ganja crops inside of his apartment located in Pluit.

“It is true that on Monday, April 25, at around 7:00 pm, the Police Narcotics Unit of West Jakarta uncovered narcotics of the cannabis variety being grown in an apartment,” Eko Daniyanto, director of the Narcotics Unit for the Jakarta Metro Police, told Detik yesterday. 

Eko said the case came to light after West Jakarta Police started investigating Derrick on suspicion of drug possession. He was searched in front of his apartment and found to be carrying 73 grams of marijuana.

Police then investigated Derrick’s apartment, where they found an extensive marijuana growing operation, including six large marijuana plants ready for harvest, seven large pot plants that had not yet matured, as well as 15 smaller plants. In addition, they found 20 marijuana seedlings, 10 ultraviolet lamps, humidity gauges, fans and fertilizer. They also found 2.5 kg of marijuana being processed for use.

The police say Derrick got the seeds for his plants from Aceh and was planning to sell the harvest himself. 

Police are still investigating the case and it is not yet clear what charges Derrick will face.

Despite being decriminalized in many other countries, in Indonesia marijuana is considered a narcotic on the same level as heroin and crystal methamphetamine.

Last year, an Indonesian citizen named Zainal Abidin was executed after being caught in 2000 for possession of 47 kg of marijuana. Zainal had initially been given 15 years in jail for the crime but, horrifically, had his sentence changed to the death penalty after he appealed the verdict. He left behind a statement saying his spirit would “not rest easy” and that he would “seek revenge on the wives, children, and the descendants of all of those in the justice system involved in my sentence.”