Prison Officers Involved In Drug Networks Allegedly Receiving Rewards From Prisoners

Head of the NTB BNNP, Police Brigadier General Gde Sugianyar Dwi Putra (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Officers from the Sumbawa Besar Penitentiary (Bapas) who were arrested by the West Nusa Tenggara Provincial National Narcotics Agency (BNNP) for being involved in the Mataram prison drug network allegedly received wages from a prisoner with the initials AW.

"There is an allegation (receiving wages). But we are still exploring it again," said the Head of the NTB BNNP, Brigadier General Gde Sugianyar Dwi Putra, in Mataram, as reported by Antara, Wednesday.

The prison officer who was arrested by the NTB BNNP on Saturday, October 31, had the initials AH. He was arrested while taking the package at one of the expedition services in Alas, Sumbawa Regency. The package from Jakarta contains 49.52 grams of shabu-shabu.

To the officers, AH admitted that he was only told by AW, a drug convict in Mataram prison who had previously been detained in Sumbawa.

"Indeed he (AW) has served a sentence there (Sumbawa). So we will see, whether there is a direct reward or because of old friendship, we are still exploring it first," he said.

AW was charged with a drug case with a sentence of 13 years in prison. He was sentenced in 2016 and is currently serving time in the Mataram prison. In this case, AW is called AH as the buyer of goods. According to AW's order, the illicit goods will be handed over to S.

From AH's confession, the NTB BNNP team continued to arrest S. From his arrest, the team found evidence of methamphetamine weighing 37.3 grams under the seat of a two-wheeled vehicle belonging to S.

To the officer, S admitted the same thing as AH. Only as a courier under orders. For 37.3 grams of evidence, S admitted that it was an order for a prisoner with the initials FF who also lodged in the Mataram prison.

The prisoner from Alas, Sumbawa Regency, is serving a prison sentence for being caught during a methamphetamine transaction in the Senggigi area, West Lombok Regency. A total of two kilograms of crystal methamphetamine were confiscated along with a man from Aceh. In his sentencing sentence, FF was given life imprisonment.

Now the four people involved have been named as suspects in drug cases with criminal charges under Article 114 Paragraph 2 and Article 132 Paragraph 2 of Law Number 35/2009 on Narcotics. They are now serving detention at the NTB BNNP.

Furthermore, Sugianyar said, this case became a joint concern of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights of the NTB Regional Office, especially in the correctional sector, due to the disclosure of the role of two prisoners as masterminds of drug trafficking and the involvement of officers.

Related to this disclosure, Sugianyar appreciated the cooperation of correctional parties which was also considered as a form of implementing the prison program free of drugs.

"The point is that there is a commitment from the prison to clean up these traitors. If there is no deterrent effect then this could be repeated," he said.