Jakarta – Following the arrests of two soldiers Saturday for transporting marijuana, the Marine Corps conceded Monday that at least four other marines could be involved.

It vowed to take stern measures against any member of the marines who was transporting or selling drugs.

Navy spokesman Commodore Malik Yusuf said the marine's internal affairs officers had confirmed the involvement of four other marines. He said he would not reveal the names or the roles of the four as the investigation was ongoing.

"We take this matter seriously and, if they are proven guilty, we'll see to it that they are severely punished," he said. He said the corps would take over the case from the police because active soldiers were involved.

Pvt. Efrizal was arrested on Saturday with about 199 kilograms of marijuana after he led police on a high-speed chase along local turnpikes. The marijuana's estimated street value is about Rp 360 million (about US$37,894).

Another member, whose identity was not revealed by the corps, was arrested later in the afternoon on the basis of information given by Efrizal. The two were detained at the South Jakarta Police station before being transferred to Marine Corps Headquarters in Cilandak, South Jakarta.

It is no secret that many military officers take up extra work to make ends meet. A number of them have ended up involved in serious crime.

Meanwhile, South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Wiliardi Wizar said that, although the police were not handling the case, they could still track down any civilians who were involved.

An investigator, who asked not to be named, said the police had gotten the names of the four marines from text messages on Efrizal's cell phone.

"After he (Efrizal) was arrested, we checked everything including the messages on his cell phone. There are five messages that implicate the four marines," he told The Jakarta Post.

Williardi said that, a few hours after Efrizal's arrest, South Jakarta Police detectives tracked Pvt. Misbach, 31, to Ciganjur intersection in South Jakarta.

"In his text message, Misbach said he wanted to buy 5 kg of marijuana," Williardi said.

In preliminary questioning, Efrizal admitted to police it was his second time transporting marijuana from Aceh to Jakarta. "Last month, he successfully brought 50 kg (of marijuana) to Jakarta," Williardi said.

Efrizal, who is Acehnese, drove his own car from Aceh to Jakarta, with the packages of marijuana inside. Sporting his marine beret and uniform, Efrizal was not checked when boarding the ferry from Bakaheuni Port in Lampung to Merak Port in Banten.

"The customs officers neglected his car because he was in uniform. But it is impossible that they were not at all suspicious because it was such a huge amount of marijuana," Williardi said.

He surmised that Efrizal set off with 200 kg of the drug but gave a kilogram to customs officials in Merak and Bakaheuni to smooth his passage. "...that's why we need to press on with this investigation, because there are some missing links that need to be explained," he said.