Police arrest warden, inmate over drug abuse

Police arrest warden, inmate over drug abuse

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

The police arrested a prison guard and an inmate of the Tangerang
Youth Penitentiary late on Wednesday for alleged involvement in
drug trafficking inside the prison.

The penitentiary chief Didin Sudirman confirmed on Thursday
that one of his guards, Hari Marsono, 40, had been arrested.

"We have long been suspicious of Marsono's involvement in drug
trafficking inside the prison...but he always denied the
accusation under interrogation," Didin, who is currently on
leave, told The Jakarta Post.

Police detectives arrested Marsono directly in front of the
prison gate as he was leaving for home at 9 p.m.

The police said they had found hundreds of ecstasy pills in
his bag.

Fellow prison guard Pujiono said that after they had arrested
Marsono, the police got in the prison and escorted an inmate,
identified as Syahrial Pakpahan alias Ucok, from the prison to
Tangerang Police Station. "None of Syahrial's belongings were
seized as police evidence," he said.

According to the head of the operation Insp. Tri Taufif,
Marsono was a known drug courier.

He said Marsono had confessed that he had obtained the drugs
from Syahrial, who had just been transferred from the Cipinang
penitentiary.

Syahrial has served one year of his three-and-half year prison
term for a drug-related crime.

The police said that a man called Ocoy had confessed to buying
drugs from Syahril.

Ocoy was arrested on April 7, 2003, in Petamburan area,
Central Jakarta. He was found to be in possession of 115 ecstasy
pills, 25 grams of shabu shabu (crystal metamphetamine) and one
gram of heroin. His trial is being held at the Tangerang District
Court.

Tangerang Youth Penitentiary is known for its weak control
over drug deals involving inmates. The prison has a maximum
capacity of 600, but currently has 1,047 inmates.