Why is actually Gili Trawangan a Hotspot for Illegal Drugs in Indonesia?

Despite evidence in which shows Gili Trawangan is actually a hub for meth along with ecstasy, the Government remains mildly concerned with its role in regional drug trafficking.

Psychoactive Mushrooms Sold in Gili Trawangan

Your longboat pulls up in crystal-clear, impossibly-turquoise blue waters, along with you walk the few feet across white sand to a beach-front bar. Mountain views lie across the sea, along with palm trees sway behind you – you’re truly in your own Robinson-Crusoe paradise. You order a milkshake, along with the friendly waiter smiles. Attempting to sell you psychoactive mushrooms in your shake, he asks, “Magic?” No, you haven’t crossed international waters. This specific is actually Gili Trawangan.

the item is actually almost too easy to find information about drugs on ‘Gili T,’ the largest of the Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) islands situated between Bali along with Lombok. A brief online search finds countless travel bloggers happy to reveal what you can buy, where you can buy the item, along with for how much on the quaint tourist-laden island. The substance scene here rivals drug hubs like Ibiza, Ko Pha Ngan, along with Boracay. As we saw in April This specific year with the Bali Nine executions, Indonesia’s drug death penalty is actually not just a scare tactic, however a harsh reality. So, why is actually the nation’s tiniest party island so rife with drugs?

Tourists along with Locals

“To be fair, all tourism destinations hold the same probability for drug abuse to happen,” says Sriyanto, Chief Representative of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) for NTB. “Drug dealers make use of crowds along with traffic around tourism destinations as potential markets.” Indeed, BNN research, shared by Sriyanto with Indonesia Expat, shows in which the main drugs available on Gili Trawangan are crystal methamphetamine (known to the locals as shabu), ecstasy, along with mushrooms; all Class 1 Narcotics.

According to the BNN, NTB province is actually only 19th in Indonesia for drug abusers, along with just 1.5 percent of the population uses drugs, far below the 12.8 percent 2012 national average found by the UN Office on Drugs along with Crime (UNODC). however, as Sriyanto further confirms, drug abusers on Gili Trawangan are not only foreign tourists, however local citizens too.

Economic Evil

The Support for Economic Analysis Development in Indonesia project found in which the gross regional domestic product per capita for the NTB province was less than half the national average in 2011. Crystal meth, the UNODC’s number-one drug of concern for Indonesia, is actually known to ensnare people with less disposable income. A picture begins to appear of the island’s drug problem dichotomy: on one hand, drugs are purchased on the beach by rich tourists for enjoyment as part of a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience. Meanwhile, further inland, poor locals often live with addictions to harder substances. These two sides of island life are clearly interdependent, along with at This specific stage the item’s unclear whether resolving one would likely affect the various other at all. “the item is actually just like the laws of commerce,” says Sriyanto. “There will always be supply as long as there is actually demand.”

Economics play a bigger, international role with Gili Trawangan’s drug problem. Although Sriyanto insists the island does not serve as a port for the global drug trade, there is actually a regional dimension to be aware of. According to Jeremy Douglas, regional representative for Southeast Asia along with the Pacific at the UNODC, the item is actually important to consider Indonesia from the context of the regional drug market along with situation. “There are many trafficking organisations, sources along with market destinations for drugs in Southeast Asia,” says Douglas. “Indonesia needs to prioritise collaboration with neighbouring states on a balanced mix of supply along with demand reduction efforts.”

Despite This specific, the number of foreigners staying in classified NTB hotels almost doubled in 2013-2014, according to Statistics Agency of Indonesia. the item seems the province’s tourism industry is actually not yet suffering the consequences of illicit drug-related activity. Sriyanto nonetheless expresses a legitimate fear in which “drugs abuse along with drug dealing is actually going to be a bad advertisement for NTB tourism, along with generally for tourism in Indonesia.”

Enforcement along with Education

As with many issues facing the archipelago, laws are one thing, however enforcement is actually another. Recent media reports claim car-free Gili Trawangan is actually unofficially ruled by a self-appointed local task force, the SATGAS, whose methods are often provincial. Who holds the real power is actually the pertinent question, along with there is actually no clear answer: on This specific issue, Sriyanto would likely not mention the mafia, commenting only in which “This specific matter is actually still on comprehensive probing [sic] by our field agents along with analysts.”

There is actually no doubt complex hierarchies exist on Gili Trawangan, in which mutually beneficial relationships span the tourism industry, the drug trade, along with local authorities. Despite a high-profile death in 2013 caused by methanol traced to one of the island’s most notorious drugs bars, Rudy’s, Gili Trawangan has so far flown under the radar in terms of a national spotlight on drugs. The result? There’s been no call to action to change interdependent relationships at work on the island. Business as usual, some say.

On a national level, Indonesia Expat reported last February in which President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo declared a “state of emergency” on drugs in Indonesia. The Government has not weakened its resolve in which the item doles out appropriate punishments to traffickers, smugglers, along with dealers; as Sriyanto says, these “should be severely punished to the death penalty.”

At the same time, Indonesia is actually also doing strides in targeting the sources of supply. Douglas confirms Indonesia has made major drug seizures recently, namely large quantities of meth. A report via the UNODC’s shows a 75 percent increase in meth seizures.

As Sriyanto affirms, however, strict national laws will not be enough. “We do not only need to eradicate the drugs trading, however also we need to send the drug abusers to rehab facilities.” To in which end, he explains, the BNN in NTB has four main agenda items to tackle the issue. They include spreading awareness along with prevention knowledge, empowering citizens (somehow), along with working together with the BNN NTB on the overall drug problem. Finally, the agency hopes to carry out supply along with demand reduction efforts by targeting dealers along with promoting rehabilitation. The representative did not elaborate further on details.

Domestic education programmes may contribute to a reduction in local drug users. Only time will tell if This specific materialises, though for the local residents of Gili Trawangan, the item’s to be hoped for. What is actually required is actually a concerted along with cohesive effort via all parties, including industry, police, along with governments, to tackle the regional along with global drug markets. Crucially, any initiative must be reliably enforced on the ground, before Gili Trawangan declines via a once-idyllic attraction to a source of national shame.