Inmates deal from behind bars

Inmates deal from behind bars

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Being stuck in a prison cell does not necessarily mean the end of
the world -- at least for three convicts in Tangerang
Penitentiary, who have continued to deal drugs from behind bars.

Police uncovered a drug trafficking ring run by inmates Lukman
Siswanto, alias Liem Kok Eng, Hengky, alias Aheng, and Sutrisno
Harjo Husodo, alias Nick Setyawan, along with another suspect,
Michel James Wangko.

"We uncovered the syndicate by following the trail from drug
users, dealers and smugglers back to those behind the drug ring,"
City Police Detectives chief of narcotics Sr. Comr. Carlo Brix
Tewu said on Thursday.

Besides arresting the four suspects, police also seized 2,900
ecstasy pills and 1.2 kilograms of shabu-shabu, or crystal
methamphetamine, from them.

Carlo said that the three inmates usually concealed the heroin
or ecstasy pills by wrapping them in a snack package.

Adj. Sr. Comr. Anjan Pramuka Putra, who oversees the
psychotropic section, explained that officers raided Room 366 at
Mal Taman Anggrek apartments, Tower 5 in Tomang, West Jakarta, on
July 2 based on a tipoff from a reliable source.

"We found Michel, along with three plastic bags and two snack
boxes. Both the bags and boxes contained 1.2 kilograms of shabu-
shabu and 2,900 ecstasy pills," he said.

During his interrogation, Michel fingered Lukman -- who is
currently serving a seven-year sentence for drug dealing at
Tangerang Penitentiary -- as the owner of the drugs.

"We used the information from Michel to nab the three
inmates," Anjan said.

He claimed that police had yet to find any indications that
the prison wardens were involved.

Police had already confiscated 200 grams of marijuana and a
gram of shabu-shabu on July 17 from 11 Tangerang inmates, who
were allegedly involved in selling drugs at the penitentiary.

Earlier last month, police uncovered an international drug
trafficking network operated by Nigerian inmates Nwaolisa Hansen,
alias Anthony, and George Obinda, alias Andi, at Cipinang
Penitentiary, East Jakarta.

Carlo said Anthony's syndicate could smuggle up to 20
kilograms of heroin worth Rp 5 billion (US$588,235.30) from
Pakistan in a week. The syndicate uses five smugglers who swallow
the heroin to pass through security checks at ports of entry.

Carlo regretted the generally poor law enforcement at
penitentiaries, as there were many corrupt wardens who enabled
inmates to operate drug rings from jail.

"Sometimes, we have even found the drugs at the prisons," he
said.

Carlo welcomed the plan forwarded by Minister of Justice and
Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra to impose blackout, or no-
signal, zones around all penitentiaries to prevent inmates from
using cellular phones to control the drug syndicates.

"It will be very helpful if (the blackout zones) are actually
imposed," he said. "We have learned that most drug trafficking
networks use existing ports of entry like airports and seaports."

Although airport security and customs officials have managed
to foil several smuggling attempts, Carlo believed that the
majority of packages had passed into the country.

He said the four suspects were arrested on July 2 and July 3,
but the police needed extra time to uncover the entire syndicate
and to seize the evidence before publicizing the case.

In the first semester alone, police have handled 1,012 drug
and drug-related cases.

The police's 2002 year-end report stated that the number of
cases had jumped significantly from 1,831 cases in 2001 to 2,642
cases in 2002.