Two prisoners apprehended for drug

JAKARTA (JP): Officials apprehended two prisoners at the Salemba prison in Central Jakarta for drug possession during a Friday evening raid, an officer said on Saturday.

Central Jakarta Police deputy chief Maj. Iza Fadri said the police seized 533 ecstasy pills, four plastic bags of shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine) weighing 15 grams, seven sedative pills, one anti-impotence Viagra tablet and some paraphernalia.

He said the two prisoners, identified as 35-year-old Tommy, alias Hojery Hodison, and 27-year-old Irwan, alias A Yen, had been trafficking drugs to the other prisoners with the help of a prison official.

During the raid, which was jointly conducted by the Central Jakarta Police and the Salemba prison, police found the drugs in a small box in Tommy's cell room.

"During the questioning, we learned that Tommy obtained the drugs from Irwan, who later admitted that the drugs were supplied by one of the prison officials," Fadri told reporters.

He said the ecstasy pills were bought from the prison official at Rp 25,000 (US$3) each. "And Tommy sold each pill at 45,000 to other prisoners."

Fadri said both Tommy and Irwan were imprisoned for drug possession last year and had been sentenced to one and a half years and seven years, respectively.

This was the second incident of the kind in Salemba prison this year. On May 25, police officers apprehended three prisoners, identified as France Supit, Andi Laude and Musa, while they were smoking marijuana and confiscated a packet of five rolled marijuana leaves during a raid. (06)