Director General commends Surabaya prison officers for foiling meth smuggling attempt

Director General of Corrections at the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, Mashudi, has commended officers at the Class I Prison in Surabaya, East Java, for once again foiling an attempt by visitors to smuggle methamphetamine. Previously, on Tuesday (23/6), Surabaya prison officers thwarted an attempt to smuggle 15.4 grams of methamphetamine, also brought in by a visitor using a different method. In a statement in Jakarta on Thursday, Mashudi praised the keen eye and alertness of the officers who successfully foiled the smuggling attempt and called for vigilance and supervision in prisons to be continuously enhanced. “We appreciate the officers who were quick to carry out their duties so that this smuggling attempt could be thwarted. This kind of vigilance must be maintained throughout the entire corrections service,” said Mashudi. He stated that the success in foiling drug smuggling into the prison was due to the officers’ vigilance in supervision and security to prevent prohibited items from entering prisons and detention centres. He stressed that the Directorate General of Corrections will continue to strengthen the prevention of violations through early detection, layered inspections of people and goods, routine raids, and enhanced coordination with law enforcement officials. This measure is taken to ensure prisons are free from drugs, illegal mobile phones, and various other prohibited items. “We will not give any room for any form of violation, including the circulation of narcotics inside prisons and detention centres. Everything will be dealt with firmly according to the applicable regulations,” Mashudi asserted. The narcotics were brought in by two female visitors with the initials SK and W. Both attempted to deceive officers by disguising the methamphetamine inside folded money covered with adhesive tape. “Thanks to the officers’ keen eye during the inspection, the attempt was foiled. I greatly appreciate this because last week the same officers also successfully thwarted a drug smuggling attempt using a different method,” said Sohibur. Following the incident, officers then examined the two female visitors. Both admitted they were instructed by inmates in narcotics cases with the initials F and E. Based on the statements from the two women, officers then coordinated with the Narcotics Investigation Unit of the Surabaya Metropolitan Police for further processing. “This synergy is important so that every finding can be immediately followed up according to each party’s authority,” said Sohibur. In the course of the investigation, police officers also examined three other inmates with the initials D, B, and R who were suspected of being involved in the smuggling attempt. The previous week, on Tuesday (23/6), officers at Surabaya Class I Prison foiled the smuggling of 15.4 grams of methamphetamine brought in by a female visitor with the initials NW by concealing it in a vital area of her body. NW came to visit an inmate with the initials AW, a narcotics convict serving an 8.5-year sentence. From the initial development, the smuggling attempt also pointed to another inmate with the initials MM who was suspected of being connected. MM is a narcotics convict sentenced to 15 years in prison at Surabaya Class I Prison.