Penitentiary guard arrested for drugs

Penitentiary guard arrested for drugs

JAKARTA (JP): Police have arrested a guard at Cipinang
Penitentiary for his role in distributing drugs to prisoners,
Jakarta Police Criminal Investigation chief Sr. Supt. Harry
Montolalu said on Monday.

"The guard, Mardiono, was suspected of smuggling drugs into
the prison, which were then distributed among the prisoners,"
Harry said from police headquarters.

He said that Mardiono, arrested last Thursday, had been
cooperating with an African prisoner named Kofe, who acted as the
drug distributor.

Harry said the police launched an investigation based on a
tip-off on the ongoing drug distribution at the prison.

After several days of surveillance, Harry said, Mardiono was
seen meeting another man, also African, identified as Bobby,
across the street in front of the penitentiary on Thursday.

"The man handed Mardiono a package wrapped in plastic and
Mardiono later brought it into the prison," Harry said. "He gave
the package to Kofe who then handed him two similar packages."

Several minutes later, Mardiono left the prison with the two
packages, Harry said. However, Bobby had left the area.

Police then apprehended Mardiono and opened the two packages.

"The police found a total of Rp 21.3 million in the packages,"
Harry said.

Harry said they were looking for Bobby. Kofe, who was sent to
jail for drugs, could face more charges for his role in the
latest incident, he said.

There was no comment from prison authorities.

Earlier on July, police apprehended two prisoners at Salemba
Prison in Central Jakarta for drug possession and seized 533
ecstasy pills, four plastic bags of shabu-shabu (crystal
methamphetamine) weighing 15 grams, seven sedatives and some drug
paraphernalia.

Following the arrest, another guard was questioned after
prisoners claimed they had bought the drugs from him. The case is
still under investigation.(jaw)