Legal Analysis of the Implementation of Justice Collaborators in Law Enforcement of Narcotics Crimes (Research Study of the Narcotics Directorate of the Riau Islands Regional Police)

Abstract

This research focuses on the juridical analysis of the implementation of Justice Collaborators in law enforcement for narcotics crimes during the investigation and inquiry stages at the Directorate of Narcotics Research, Riau Islands Regional Police. As an extraordinary transnational organized crime, narcotics distribution is managed through closed systems and the omerta (code of silence), making it difficult to uncover through conventional judicial mechanisms. This study employs normative and empirical juridical methods to examine the legal framework, ranging from Supreme Court Circular (SEMA) No. 4 of 2011 to Law No. 31 of 2014, and its practical implementation. The results indicate that a Justice Collaborator holds a crucial dual role: as a legal subject accountable for their actions and as a strategic source of information to dismantle network structures, modus operandi, and the chain of command of major kingpins. The application of this concept at the Riau Islands Regional Police is often pragmatic and transactional, where the state provides rewards in the form of sentence reductions in exchange for significant information. However, its effectiveness is still hampered by a lack of uniform understanding among law enforcement officers and weak physical protection for cooperating offenders and their families. Theoretically, this study confirms that the testimony of a Justice Collaborator serves as corroborating evidence that acts as a ”road map" for investigators to construct a comprehensive case. Despite its strategic value, the validity of such testimony must still be tested against the principle of a minimum of two valid pieces of evidence to prevent abuse of power. As a recommendation, stronger and more specific regulations at the statutory level (particularly in the revision of the Narcotics Law and the Criminal Procedure Code/KUHAP) are required to ensure legal certainty regarding the criteria for identifying cooperating offenders and standardized protection for high-risk individuals to eradicate narcotics networks at their roots.