Officers Hold Raids to Suppress Drug Trafficking in Bengkulu Correctional Facility

BENGKULU - The Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Kemenkumham) Bengkulu Regional Office (Kanwil) continues to conduct periodic raids or checks every month in all UPTDs to anticipate the circulation of narcotics cases in prisons or detention centers.

The periodic raids are carried out up to eight times a month in all technical implementation units (UPTD) of detention centers (rutan) and correctional institutions (lapas) throughout Bengkulu Province.

"For drug cases in the Bengkulu region, we have ordered routine raids and urine tests in all UPTD prisons and detention centers. The Oppatnal Unit must enter the UPTD every month to conduct raids," said the Head of the Correctional Division (Kadivpas) of the Bengkulu Ministry of Law and Human Rights Teguh Wibowo in Bengkulu City, Sunday.

He said this was done in order to carry out early prevention so that there was no narcotics circulation in prisons or detention centers in accordance with instructions from the Director General of Corrections.

In addition to conducting checks or raids every month in the prison, his party also continues to coordinate and synergize with related parties such as the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), the police or the TNI.

Teguh continued, if during the inspection or raid it is found that there are prisoners who use or even distribute drugs in the prison, his party will process the matter and coordinate with the police for follow-up.

"We don't play with drugs, hopefully Bengkulu will be safe by itself and so on. In the sense that we must care and be sensitive and when we get the slightest information we must follow up. Because the dynamics in prisons when events outside must occur inside so that we anticipate this," he said.

Previously known, the Directorate of Drug Detection of the Bengkulu Regional Police (Polda) has arrested 281 suspects of narcotics abuse in the region from January to early July 2024.

Evidence that has been seized such as methamphetamine with evidence seized as much as 1.3 kilograms, 1.7 kg of marijuana, 58 grains of ecstasy, while for other types of drugs such as gorilla tobacco, illegal drugs have not been found in the Bengkulu region.