Woodford prison visitor charged after attempting to smuggle drugs inside

A visitor to a notorious prison near the Sunshine Coast has been charged after they were caught trying to smuggle contraband and more than $1m worth of drugs inside.

A visitor to a notorious Queensland prison has been charged over attempting to smuggle contraband and more than $1m worth of drugs inside the facility.

The alleged offender was visiting Woodford Correctional Centre earlier this month when they were stopped by a drug detection dog and revealed to be carrying 867 suboxone strips and approximately 3g of meth with a combined worth of about $1.2m.

Intelligence officers anticipated the attempted crime and had alerted the sniffer dog, named Luka, prior to the visitor’s arrival.

PADD Dog Luka with handler Nicole. Luka helped foil an attempting drug smuggling into Woodford Correctional Centre. Photo: Supplied

They were charged with two counts of supplying dangerous drugs and one count of taking a prohibited item into a correctional centre and were expected to appear in the Caboolture Magistrates Court on July 27.

Corrective Services Minister Mark Ryan said in a press release the Corrective Services dog squad was a “highly skilled” and strategic weapon in keeping correctional centres and communities safe.

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“I want to congratulate PADD Dog Luka and his handler Nicole for detecting the drugs and validating the intel gathered by officers to keep contraband out of prisons, which is an important part of prisoner rehabilitation and breaking the cycle of offending,” he said.

Queensland Corrective Services Assistant Commissioner Eloise Hamlett, ACM said the intercept was an example of commitment to protecting corrections staff.

Woodford Prison. Photo Lachie Millard

Woodford Correctional Centre General Manager Chief Superintendent Stuart McHaffie said there was a zero-tolerance policy on bringing drugs into correctional centres.

“Correctional centres are controlled environments for a reason and introducing illicit substances endangers the safety of our officers, prisoners and other visitors,” Mr McHaffie said.

“Anyone who tries to bring contraband in will be caught.”

He thanked corrections staff for their dedication and commitment to maintaining the good order within the centre and the community.