Despite the early hour, a Corrections Officer at Tongariro/Rangipo prison was wide-awake Saturday morning as he uncovered an attempt to deliver cannabis to a prisoner.
“One of our guys was on his way into work when he spotted what looked like a Tupperware container tucked into the grass by the prison entrance,” says Assistant Regional Manager Paul Vlaanderen.
“The way the container was placed aroused suspicion so the Corrections Officer stopped to investigate further. Inside he found approximately an ounce of cannabis leaf – enough for several tinnies and considered a valuable commodity by some prisoners.”
Mr Vlaanderen says that while there is no indication of who the drugs were for it is likely somebody planted it for a prisoner on an outside work party to pick up later.
“We are committed to stopping contraband entering the prison. It is very pleasing that once again staff vigilance and awareness enabled us to seize these drugs before they got into the wrong hands.
“Unfortunately, there are people in the community that are willing to help prisoners access drugs by trying various devious methods to get them into Corrections Facilities.”
Any attempt to get contraband into prison is seen as a threat to the safety and security of the site. It will not be tolerated and those caught trying will be penalised.
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