12 January
A plan to smuggle cannabis and what appears to be methamphetamine into Tongariro/Rangipo Prison within a container of hobby glue has come unstuck.
The drugs were found by staff during a routine search of property that had been posted to the Prison.
“The person posting these must have thought that the glue inside the container would work to conceal the drugs and mask the smell. However, our staff are very vigilant in their checks and although the drugs were tightly wrapped in plastic and concealed within glue, they were found and handed over to Police,” says Acting Prison Manager Dennis Goodin.
“This is another example of our staff continuing to be vigilant in their searches and ensuring that contraband does not get into the Prison. I am very proud of their ongoing efforts. Many prisoners have addictions to drugs or alcohol when they come to prison – preventing contraband from entering prisons is one of the ways we work to curb these addictions.
“We have a number of initiatives in place to prevent drugs and other contraband entering the prison including visitor searches, vehicle checkpoints, and the use of drug detector dogs. The chance that drug smuggling attempts will be intercepted by our staff means it just isn’t worth trying.”
People who are caught attempting to introduce illegal items are likely to be banned from future visits to the prison for up to twelve months and can face Police prosecution.
For further information contact the Communications Services Desk:
Phone: (04) 460 3365
Email: commdesk@corrections.govt.nz
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