Video Alleging Drug Use and Room Trading in Medan Detention Center Goes Viral; 500 Inmates Urine Tested

MEDAN, KOMPAS.com - A video alleging that inmates use drugs and engage in the buying and selling of rooms in the Class I Tanjung Gusta Detention Center in Medan, North Sumatra, has gone viral on social media.

In the video, an unidentified inmate wearing a black T-shirt is seen holding a small plastic clip suspected to contain methamphetamine.

The accompanying narration claims there is drug trafficking inside the Medan Detention Center.

Additionally, accusations of room trading practices and distribution of medication allegedly coming from the detention center’s clinic have also surfaced.

The Medan Class I Detention Center denied these allegations and urged the public not to immediately believe information circulating on social media without verification.

"We urge the public not to accept unverified information as truth. The information circulating on social media cannot simply be regarded as fact," said Yoslan Josua Hasurungan Doloksaribu, Head of Security at Medan Detention Center.

Yoslan stated that the content of the video and accompanying narration must be verified using evidence and official statements.

"We hope the public will not jump to conclusions based only on the video clip circulating on social media without proper verification," he said.

Medan Detention Center Raided, 500 Inmates Urine Tested

Following the video’s circulation, officers from the Medan Class I Detention Center, together with the police and North Sumatra’s National Narcotics Agency (BNN), conducted inspections in the inmate living blocks.

The inspection was carried out alongside Jalu Yusa Panjang, Head of the North Sumatra Regional Office of the Directorate General of Corrections, accompanied by Medan Detention Center Head Andi Surya.

The operation was led by Yoslan Doloksaribu.

The joint officers swept through inmate blocks and searched various corners of their rooms.

The raid involved the Gegana Task Force, police, TNI (Indonesian National Armed Forces), and BNN.

"Synergy between Gegana Task Force, Polres, Polsek, TNI, and BNN is the key to the success of this early detection," said Andi Surya, Head of Medan Class I Detention Center, on Friday (September 18, 2026).

During the search, officers found and seized items prohibited in the detention center.

These included lighters, cables, metal spoons, and mobile phone chargers.

Besides room inspections, BNN conducted random urine tests on 500 inmates at the Medan Class I Detention Center.

According to Andi, all inmates tested returned negative results.

"The 100 percent negative urine test results and confiscation of prohibited items prove that supervision inside Medan Class I Detention Center is running optimally," Andi Surya emphasized.

Viral Video Alleges Drug Use and Room Trading

Previously, a video of an unidentified inmate widely circulated on social media.

In the recording, the man wore a black T-shirt and showed a small plastic clip suspected to contain methamphetamine.

The post was accompanied by narration alleging drug trafficking within the Tanjung Gusta Detention Center in Medan.

The narration also accused practices of buying and selling inmate rooms inside the facility.

Furthermore, it claimed the distribution of drugs allegedly originated from the detention center’s clinic.

Responding to these accusations, Yoslan stressed that the information spread through the video clip should not be accepted as fact immediately.

He added that the circulating information must be verified based on concrete evidence and official statements.

The Medan Class I Detention Center subsequently conducted inspections with relevant authorities to assess the conditions in the inmate blocks.

The inspections uncovered several prohibited items including lighters, cables, metal spoons, and mobile phone chargers.

Meanwhile, the BNN’s random urine tests on 500 inmates showed negative results.

The detention center also urged the public to be cautious when receiving and sharing information from social media, especially unverified reports.

Parts of this article were originally published on Tribun-Medan.com under the title "VIRAL: Inmates Allegedly Use Drugs and Sell Rooms, Head of Medan Detention Center Security Unit Denies".