60 Percent of Pilots Allegedly Consume Drugs
Thursday, 09 February, 2012 | 17:36 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Farah Diba Panigoro, a former stewardess at a private airline, estimated that between 60 and 70 percent of private pilots consume drugs. The claim, she said, was based on her experience and information from her friends who are still working as stewardesses.

“About 6 – 7 out of every 10 pilots use crystal methamphetamine,” Diba said yesterday.

According to National Narcotics Agency (BNN) official Benny Mamoto, drug circulation among pilots and airline crew happens among friends.

The crystal meth consumed by Syaiful Salam, the Lion Air’s pilot who was arrested on Saturday in Surabaya, or fellow plane crew member Hanum Adhyaksa, who was also arrested on January 10 in Makassar, was not supplied by a special network, he said.

On a separate occasion, Transportation Minister E.E. Mangindaan said he was still looking for the right formula to prevent such cases in airline companies. Consultation is being conducted with the BNN and Health Ministry. “This is the first time we’ve seen such a case,” he said yesterday.

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