POLICE have taken statements from five Tapah Prison officers on a recent attempt to smuggle drugs into the prison using a drone, reported the New Straits Times.
“More officers and inmates will be called in for questioning as the investigation continues.
“So far, we have taken statements from five officers. They include guard post officers, officers monitoring the CCTV, and those who discovered the drone and drugs.
“We believe that this is not the first case of using a drone to smuggle drugs (at Tapah Prison), but it is the first time the drone failed to function and crashed in the prison compound,” said Perak police chief Datuk Azizi Mat Isa.
Speaking to reporters after attending the monthly assembly at the Perak police contingent headquarters, he said Bukit Aman’s Narcotic Crime Investigation Department is investigating the case.
He said that this was not the first instance of drugs being smuggled into the prison as various drugs have been seized from the prison since 2022.
In 2022, Azizi said a prison officer was arrested, and 13.35g of methamphetamines were seized, while in the same year, two inmates were arrested, and 13.8g of drugs seized.
“In 2023, four inmates, including an Indonesian man were arrested, and 1.38g of drugs were seized. Another inmate was arrested with 97g of heroin, 3g of Yaba pills, and 11g of methamphetamines.
“Additionally, an inmate was arrested with 56.1g of heroin and 30.7g of methamphetamines. This year, an inmate was arrested with 1.8g of methamphetamines,” he said.
It was recently reported that authorities intercepted a bold attempt to smuggle suspected drugs into a prison using a drone. – August 13, 2024
