Seven policemen on trial for stealing drugs

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung

Seven policemen are being tried by the Lampung Police tribunal for allegedly stealing 60 kilograms of marijuana from the evidence room at the end of May.

Lampung Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Hariyadi Wibowo said on Tuesday that the trial began on Monday.

He said that Lampung Police chief Brig. Gen. MD Primanto stated last week that the seven would be immediately dismissed if found guilty.

He added that they would also be handed over to a civil court in addition to being punished by the tribunal.

"This is to prove that we are committed to eradicating narcotics. We're serious about taking harsh action against violators, particularly if the guilty party is a policeman. The police should set a good example," said the former secretary of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN).

The trial of the seven, all second brigadiers in their 20s, is being presided over by the chief of the Lampung Police Internal Affairs Department, Adj. Sr. Comr. Maman Rachman.

Central Lampung Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Tri Agus Prasetyo said the theft had been discovered by an on-duty policeman last May, when he noticed traces of marijuana strewn about the evidence room.

Two policemen, who had worked at the police station for only one-and-a-half years, were determined to be the thieves in an investigation. They were apprehended in Sumur Bandung in Metro town, which later led to the arrest of five other officers.

Separately, a policeman from the Kalirejo Police station in Central Lampung has been caught dealing in ecstasy pills by detectives from the Lampung Police Headquarters. The police confiscated 44 pills from the suspect, who has been detained by Lampung Police internal affairs.