August 12, 2024
PETALING JAYA – Syndicates are going to “great heights” to smuggle drugs into prisons – and the latest security threat is the use of drone technology.
The foiled attempt at Tapah prison last Saturday was the seventh such incident this year, Bukit Aman revealed.
Narcotics Crime Investigations Department (NCID) director Comm Datuk Seri Khaw Kok Chin (pic) said drug syndicates were now trying to outwit the authorities by turning to drones.
Besides the latest incident in Perak, he said there were four attempts made at prisons in Kedah, Melaka and one each in Kelantan and Sarawak to smuggle drugs into prisons using drones with 630gm of heroin, ganja, syabu, yaba pills and ketamine seized.
Comm Khaw said while the drugs were seized, no arrests were made as the drones were operated remotely.
“Due to the seriousness of the matter, we have formed a special task force to investigate the cases with the Prisons Department.
“NCID personnel from Bukit Aman will jointly investigate the latest case with Perak police. We hope to track down the culprits,” he told The Star.
An alert warden at the Tapah prison suspected something was amiss when he found a white drone on the roof of a prison block during a routine patrol on Saturday morning.
A laundry bag was attached to it and upon checking, he found three packets of white powder inside.One packet had substance believed to be heroin, weighing 122g, while the other two contained chunks of crystal believed to be methamphetamine, weighing 12.9g.
Comm Khaw said police would also discuss with the relevant authorities on the legality of owning and flying drones in the country.
Sources familiar with such cases said with the Prisons Department keeping things under close control, syndicates had resorted to using drones to sneak drugs into prison compounds.
They believed that the drones were operated remotely within a kilometre away by runners of drug syndicates.“We believe the plan was to drop off the drugs at a specific spot within the prison grounds for the arranged inmate to pick it up.
But the tight security and watchful eyes of prison wardens make it very hard to pull off,” a source said.
Prisons Commissioner-General Datuk Seri Nordin Muhamad said all prisons would soon be equipped with anti-drone and interception systems following the latest drug smuggling attempt at the Tapah prison.
He revealed that the Tapah prison was equipped with an anti-drone system.
Nordin said the department had teamed up with the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry to instal the locally-developed drone interception equipment.
“The department is fully aware of the threat of using drones to smuggle banned items into prisons,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Meanwhile, a seasoned drone pilot who wished to be known as Samuel urged the authorities to treat the matter seriously.
He said the authorities should impose strict guidelines on owning and operating drones.“Besides narcotics, drones can be weaponised and even used to carry airborne diseases. It can also be used to invade privacy.
“High-security buildings and zones should be equipped with advanced signal jammers and anti-drone systems. Even then, the threat is not fully diminished.
“There are portable drones that can fly even above 5,000m,” said the United Nations staffer, who has served in war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.