TANJUNGBALAI, thekabarnews.com—A joint security team found no narcotics, illegal mobile phones or privileged accommodation during a nighttime search of the Class IIB Tanjungbalai Asahan Penitentiary in North Sumatra. Officials released this information on Sunday, September 27.

The prison requested assistance from the Tanjungbalai Police, the Indonesian Military (TNI), the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) and the Tanjungbalai National Narcotics Agency (BNN) for the operation on Saturday night.

Officers searched residential blocks G, H, I and J from about 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The inspection took place days after the Indonesian Ombudsman reported apartment-like facilities near Cibinong Class IIA Penitentiary in West Java.

The Cibinong case prompted greater public scrutiny of prison facilities, although Tanjungbalai officials described their operation primarily as an early-detection and security measure.

Tanjungbalai Police Operations Chief Adj. Comr. Natal Fernando Saragih said officers did not identify any cells that provided special treatment to selected inmates.

“We found no mobile phones or narcotics. There were no special blocks or residential rooms, and all the buildings reflected the general conditions of the prison,” Natal said.

Although the team reported finding no drugs or phones, officers confiscated numerous objects that prison rules prohibit inside residential cells.

The inventory included 50 sharp objects, 92 nails, 27 lighters and 40 stainless-steel spoons.

Officers also removed playing cards, pieces of glass, razors and metal bars. Prison authorities transferred the seized items to the security and order unit for registration and further examination.

BNN officers and the prison’s medical team also administered 10-panel urine tests to 60 randomly selected inmates. Officials said every sample tested negative for narcotics.

Those results represent only the inmates selected for testing and should not be interpreted as proof that the entire prison population was drug-free.

Reports from the night of the operation placed the prison population at 1,297. The facility has a designed capacity of 707 people, meaning it was operating at about 183 percent of capacity.

A separate report from August 17 recorded 1,307 detainees and inmates at the facility. This confirmed that overcrowding remains a persistent challenge.

Tanjungbalai Asahan prison head Refin Tua Simanullang said cooperation among the participating institutions strengthened early detection. It also helped authorities address potential security problems.

“We are committed to continuing improvements in security and inmate development,” Refin said.

“We must anticipate every potential disturbance from an early stage. A prison must remain safe and orderly while supporting the rehabilitation process.”

The search provided a documented snapshot of four residential blocks, rather than a permanent guarantee that violations will not occur.

Continuing inspections and transparent reporting will therefore remain necessary, particularly as overcrowding places additional pressure on prison security and supervision.