20 May
A routine search of prisoners after a visits session last week by the Hawkes Bay Prison drug dog and handler has resulted in a large cannabis find.
"The drug dog indicated the presence of drugs on the prisoner and after being told he was going to be searched he handed over a relatively large package that he was concealing under his arm," says Hawkes Bay Prison Manager George Massingham.
“Our drug dogs are trained to detect certain odours down to parts per trillion, so it takes a bit more than wrapping cannabis in plastic wrap and putting it under your arm to fool them. The package was around 20 cm in circumference and 6 cm in length so it wasn’t that small either.
“The prisoner had just been visited by members of his family, while we don’t know if they were responsible for bringing the drugs in, the matter has now been handed over to the Police to investigate further.
“Once again Narco, the drug dog, and his handler did an excellent job in finding this contraband. They make a significant contribution to stopping contraband coming into the Prison and it was very pleasing that we could seize these drugs, hand them over to Police and prevent them from potentially being taken or distributed."
Visitors who are caught introducing illegal items are likely to be banned from future visits to the prison for up to 12 months.
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