The South Sulawesi Police say they are acting against the rampant drug abuse among the province's police personnel.

South Sulawesi Police spokesperson Frans Barung Mangera described the level of police personnel involvement in drug abuse in South and West Sulawesi as "alarming".

“The condition of police institutions, especially in South and West Sulawesi, is worrying. These institutions have been penetrated by drug rings. We are striving to clean our own personnel from drug-related offenses. That’s why in our drug investigations, we are prioritizing operations to clean up our institutions [from drug crimes],” Barung said in an interview in Makassar on Sunday.

On Saturday afternoon, a police officer from Majene, West Sulawesi, was arrested at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar as he was about to board a flight to Gorontalo. He was found to have on him five sachets of crystal methamphetamine or shabu-shabu.

When questioned, the officer, who remains anonymous, claimed to have been given the drugs by First Adj. Insp. Lukman, a member of the Majene Police. Lukman was subsequently arrested in Makassar.

On Saturday evening, officers from the Palopo Police and Palopo chapter of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) arrested First. Insp. Syahruddin on suspicion of intention to deal drugs.

Barung said the police would not tolerate any personnel involved in drug-related offenses. “Any officer involved in drug crimes will be punished with the heaviest sanction, namely dismissal from the police, as was imposed on Brig. Supardi,” said Barung. He was referring to a member of the Baranti Police in Sidenreng Rappang regency who was arrested for possessing 3.4 kilograms of crystal meth last week.

Barung further said: “We are now pursuing Brig. Edy Chandra, an officer on the police’s most-wanted list. We call on anyone with information on his whereabouts to report to us immediately,” said Barung.

Involvement in drug crime is also apparently rife among military personnel, many of whom have been found to serve as drug dealers and couriers.

Military Regional Command (Kodam) VII/Wirabuana said it was continuing to investigate Military District Command (Kodim) 1408/BS Makassar chief Col.Jefri Oktavian Rotti over his alleged involvement in a drugs network. Investigators are pursuing members of the drug ring.

“We are striving to discover the drug network involving the Kodim chief so that we might bring an end to the trade in drugs,” said Kodam VII Wirabuana commander Brig. Gen. Supartodi. (ebf)