Busted!

Search leads to visitor’s arrest

Routine searching of cars and their occupants at Auckland Region Women’s Corrections Facility led to Police arresting a man because of items found in his vehicle. Alerting the suspicion of staff was a large amount of cash, including foreign currency, that the man had inside his car. When staff continued searching they also found drugs, primarily packaged as ‘plugs’ – small plastic-wrapped parcels for internal concealment. “The man was at the prison to pick up a form to apply to be an approved visitor for a prisoner. However, anyone arriving on our property can be searched no matter what they’re there for, and because of what we found in this man’s car, it’s unlikely he will be allowed on to the site again for a long, long time,” says Prison Manager Agnes Robertson.

Marmite no challenge

The Hawkes Bay Regional Prison drug dog indicated drugs in a package containing shoes, which, after inspection by staff, were found to contain cannabis concealed within a rubber glove, which was smeared in vegemite or marmite. “Our drug dogs are trained to detect certain odours down to parts per trillion, so it takes a bit more than sandwich spread, however strong-smelling, to fool them,” says Prison Manager George Massingham.

Know something? Dial 0800 JAILSAFE

0800 JAILSAFE (0800 524 572) is a free national phone line for anyone to anonymously phone in information relating to the trafficking of drugs or other crimes in our prisons.