T

he Denpasar Police have arrested a prison guard from Kerobokan Penitentiary, Juli Edi Syahputra, for allegedly selling drugs. The man, who had been working at the penitentiary for 4 years, was caught with 12 packages of crystal methamphetamine weighing 24.94 grams, 15 ecstasy pills and 0.46 grams of heroin.

Denpasar Police chief Sr. Comr. Djoko Hari Utomo told The Jakarta Post on Monday that a police team had arrested Syahputra at a food stall in front of the prison on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 11:30 p.m.

'€œWe caught him in the midst of a drug transaction,'€ Djoko said.

Djoko explained that Syahputra was arrested after the drug team had arrested another suspect, Budi, earlier in the day. Budi, a former prisoner convicted in a drug case, was arrested on Jl. Tukad Pancoran, Denpasar, at 3:15 a.m. on the same day. The police seized two packages of crystal meth weighing 0.82 grams, one bong and two electric scales from Budi.

'€œThe arrest of the first suspect gave us the information about the prison guard,'€ he said.

After Budi'€™s arrest, the police decided to pursue those who supplied him with the drugs. '€œWe asked Budi to order drugs from his supplier by phone. The transaction was conducted at the food stall based on their agreement. We apprehended the suspect soon after the transaction was done,'€ Djoko said.

Djoko said that police did not yet know how long Syahputra had been selling drugs. '€œWe are still interrogating him,'€ he said.

The police will charge Syahputra with Article 112 of Law no. 35/2009 on Narcotics, which regulates the possession, storing, managing and supplying of type I narcotics of more than 5 grams and carries a maximum punishment of 20 years'€™ imprisonment or life.

This was not the first arrest by the Denpasar Police drug squad allegedly related to a prison drug ring. In June last year, the police arrested three men with a total of 14.1 kilograms of marijuana, believed to be part of a prison drug ring. However, they failed to uncover any suspects in the prison, apparently because the suspects claimed all communications were by phone and they did not know who they were talking to.

Head of the correctional division of Bali'€™s Law and Human Rights Ministry, Nyoman Surya Putra, said that the ministry would sanction Syahputra, without giving any further details. '€œWe will see how the police investigation goes. After that, we will decide what to do,'€ he said.

Kerobokan prison warden Sudjonggo said that Syahputra'€™s arrest had been reported to the ministry'€™s Bali office.

Sudjonggo said that attempts were ongoing to clean the prison of drugs. However, he admitted drug dealers had never stopped trying to smuggle drugs into the prison.

Kerobokan Penitentiary is notorious as a haven for drug smuggling and several attempts to smuggle drugs into the prison have been thwarted.

In June last year, an attempt was made by Juwarso, 26, to smuggle 2.5 kg of marijuana into the prison. The marijuana was concealed under some vegetables and wrapped in a plastic bag.