CIGARETTES, fried chicken, mobile phones and most of all, drugs – these are the top items available to prisoners with the means to pay for them.

Convicted drug offenders who number more than half of the 66,000 prisoner population find it easy to buy drugs in the place that is supposed to give them a chance at rehabilitation.

Malaysian jails have a drug problem, and the weak link is almost always corrupt wardens, said a manager of a prison care centre in Pahang.

“The inmates won’t be able to use drugs without the help of the wardens who smuggle in the contraband. Inmates have no way to get in touch with people outside. All contraband can only go through the wardens,” the source told The Malaysian Insight on condition of anonymity.

“The warden’s salary is low. That is why they get involved in smuggling contraband into jail. It is a way for them to earn extra money.”

These goods, whether they are little luxuries like cigarettes, or illegal items like drugs, sell at more than 10 times the price inside.

The source said that an old mobile phone can cost up to RM1,000, while a small bag of drugs can cost hundreds of ringgit. A rolled cigarette, which costs RM5 outside, is worth RM200 in prison.

There is a ready market among the large jail population which number has well exceeded the 16 prisons’ combined capacity of 45,000 inmates.

Drug offenders make up about 46,000, or almost 70% of the incarcerated.

The source said the wardens would usually provide a bank account for the inmate’s relatives make payment before they agreed to smuggle in the contraband.

“The inmates won’t tell their family the truth. Usually they will claim that they don’t have money to buy food or they lost money while gambling. They will come up with all sorts of excuse to convince their family to bank in the money.”

He said the Prisons Department was aware of corrupt wardens, adding that those caught are never charged but merely transferred or quietly fired.

While former drug addict Lu has never been in prison, three of his friends who were jailed for selling drugs often regaled him with tales of the efficient drug network behind bars.

He agreed that crooked wardens were the link between inmates and their drug suppliers outside prison, while most chief wardens turned a blind eye.

“Some of the wardens are really poor. You can give them fried chicken, cigarettes or even magazines to say thank you. Of course, don’t forget the RM100 ang pow after a successful transaction,” he said.

“Do you really think that the chief warden does not know what’s going on? He understands that his subordinates are not earning much, so he’s turning a blind eye. If the value of the contraband is high, he will get a cut of the profits too.”

Ah San, a 53-year-old inmate from north Malaysia, was in prison three times between 2008 and 2018 for drug-related offences.

Ah San, who recently became a Buddhist and overcame his drug addiction, said addicts who were sent to jail swallowed or hid bags of drugs in the rectum to sneak them past the guards.

“Prisoners with good connections will wait for a chance when they are brought to court where they will receive the drugs from the warden. The drugs are passed to the warden by the prisoners’ friends,” he said.

“Even a few grammes of drugs can cost up to RM200 in prison. For a small pinch, some inmates are willing to pay up to RM50.”

He said drugs such as heroin and marijuana were cheaper, while meth was the most sought-after and expensive.

Ah San, who said he almost fell back into his old drug habit while incarcerated, said that he knew of many inmates who became drug addicts in prison.

And what happens if there’s a surprise inspection? Ah San said inspections are often “just for show”.

“Typically, the inmates will be informed by a bribed warden about the inspection and they’ll hide the drugs.” – March 31, 2019.