Imam Hamdi, Jakarta – Narcotics Agency (BNN) collaborated with ride-hailing app company Grab Indonesia to prevent illegal drug distribution. The agency head Heru Winarko said online-based transportation or known as online ojek was prone to be used as drug couriers.

"Online ojek is susceptible to be used by narcotics syndicate," said Heru during a deal signing between the agency and Grab Indonesia in his office, East Jakarta, Tuesday, May 7.

Heru explained that Grab Indonesia has over 5 million driver partners, and such a large number must assist his agency to prevent and eradicate illegal drugs.

The agency, he added, would push Grab Indonesia to provide a prevention service in its application to minimize the drug trafficking.

Other than supporting the national strategy on illicit drug distribution prevention and eradication (P4GN), "[this tie] is expected to increase Grab couriers' awareness on the danger of drug trafficking toward themselves," Heru said.

When an online ojek driver is in doubt of delivering goods, they could coordinate with BNN to examine the package. "This will be one of our partnerships ahead," he added.

The application provider, Heru went on to say, must be aware of drug networks that made use of them considering such syndicates presently carried many methods.

Grab Indonesia Public Affairs head Tri Sukma Anreianno said that his firm acknowledged the huge potential of the online ojek to be used as drug couriers. "We would like to form a synergy so that we can have better procedures to tackle it," Tri said.

He added that Grab Indonesia had dismissed many driver partners involved in drug trafficking as its ethics code barred them from using or distributing illegal drugs.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1203171/bnn-grab-cooperate-to-prevent-online-ojek-as-drug-courier