KUALA LUMPUR: Drug smuggling into prisons has reached a new height with drones now being used to deliver them, the Home Minister told the Dewan Rakyat.
Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail revealed that 55 cases were discovered this year.
According to him, Tapah prison recorded the highest number of cases, followed by the Alor Setar prison.
“This is very serious. They dropped the drugs using drones.
“We have anti-drone teams with shooters tasked to destroy the drones. For now, we have detected all cases with none going unnoticed,” he said during a question-and-answer session in Parliament yesterday.
He said some RM228.2mil worth of drugs had been disposed of as of October this year.
Saifuddin Nasution explained that only drugs in concluded investigations and trials can be destroyed.
“Following this, the court or deputy public prosecutor will order for the case items to be disposed of with a special committee to take over from here,” he said.
“The committee is also headed by a police officer who holds at least the Superintendent rank.”
He added that synthetic and conventional drugs are disposed of in Bukit Pelanduk, Negri Sembilan. “The committee will follow the entire process beginning from the time the said item is removed until it is disposed,” he said.
The minister said this in response to a question by Kuala Krau MP Kamal Ashaari, who asked about procedures in disposing of drugs confiscated and measures taken to prevent drugs being smuggled into detention centres.
He also responded to a question from Ledang MP Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, who asked whether insiders and syndicates were involved in drug smuggling into detention centres.
Saifuddin said drugs continue to be smuggled into detention centres, owing to a strong demand from detainees.
“The reality is that of the 87,000 detainees in prisons, almost 70% are there for drug-related offences. When they are detained, there is a demand from inside and this is a main factor contributing to this,” he said.
Just this year, Saifuddin Nasution said there were 210 cases of attempted drug smuggling into detention centres.
“Of this number, 188 cases were detected outside the institution with only 22 detected inside.
“Owing to tight security, these moves have been stopped before it even enters the institution.
“That is why they drop it using drones but even that has been detected,” he said.
He said the ministry has also tightened checking procedures at detention centres.
“We tighten checks whenever a detainee is brought in, as early as their first day.
“The same procedure is also done during public visiting periods. Spot checks are carried out in the cells daily,” he said.
