Jakarta. Indonesia’s Justice Ministry has fired a second prison guard in the space of a week for alleged drug dealing, and this time stripped him of all his benefits.

Imron, 53, was symbolically stripped of his uniform at a ceremony on Monday by Justice Minister Yasonna Laoly, following his arrest in April for allegedly dealing drugs for death-row inmate and notorious drug trafficker Freddy Budiman at Jakarta’s Cipinang Penitentiary.

Yasonna called the ceremony, in which Imron was given a dishonorable discharge, “the bitterest moment” of his time as minister, but said it was necessary in the fight against drugs.

“We will take action against any official, be they a guard, the warden or a top officer,” he said. “Let this serve as a warning to the others.”

Imron was arrested during a police raid on April 10 for allegedly dealing crystal methamphetamine and the relatively new synthesized drug CC4 inside the prison as part of Freddy’s syndicate. The drug kingpin himself was later transferred to the prison island of Nusakambangan, off the southern coast of Central Java, where he is reportedly still running a trafficking ring.

Following Monday’s dismissal ceremony, Imron was sent back into the custody of the police.

His dismissal comes exactly a week after the discharge of another prison guard, Dedy Romadi from Bandung’s Banceuy Penitentiary, also for drug offenses.

Dedy was arrested by the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) at a Central Jakarta mall on May 22 while allegedly carrying out a drug transaction. He eventually led officers to a stash of 16.3 kilograms of crystal meth and 778 ecstasy pills.

In stark contrast to Imron, though, Dedy was given an “honorable” discharge, which means he will continue to receive the benefits to which a civil servant is entitled, including a pension and lifetime health insurance – even if he goes to jail for drug smuggling.

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Source: The Jakarta Globe