Seven policemen on trial for stealing drugs

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.