VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The police in Jayapura Port, Papua Province, seized 157 bottles of alcoholic drinks from Motor Vessel "Labobar" which arrived at the port from Bitung, North Sulawesi Province, on Saturday evening but the policemen did not arrest anyone in this bootleg liquor case.

The policemen found the bottles of home-made alcoholic drinks under the beds of several passengers on the vessel's deck 4, 5, 6, and 7 during a raid against bootleg liquor, Papua Police Spokesman Sen.Coms.Ahmad Kamal said here on Sunday.

The police investigators questioned several passengers who stayed near the confiscated liquor bottles but none knew the owners, Kamal said.

On early Sunday, MV Labobar  departed to Biak - Serui - Nabire - Manokwari - Sorong - Ternate - Bitung - Pantoloan - Balikpapan – Surabaya by carrying 1,104 passengers, he said.

The sales of alcoholic drinks are banned in Papua. In early December 2019, the Papuan provincial government had ordered all district and city administrations to ban sales of alcoholic drinks ahead of the 2019 Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations, and the convening of the 2020 National Games (PON).

First Assistant of the Papua Provincial Government's Secretary Doren Wakerwa said the Papuan government had effectively banned the production, distribution and sales of alcoholic beverages since 2016 based on the Regional Government's Regulation Number 15/2013. (ANT)