Inmate pays guard $17,000 for tobacco supply at Long Bay prison
The inmate was serving a two-year prison term when he struck up an arrangement with a prison guard to smuggle tobacco into the notorious prison.
Southern Courier
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An inmate paid a guard more than $17,000 to smuggle tobacco into Long Bay Correctional Centre before onselling the contraband to other inmates.
A former inmate at the prison, Jason Mark Isbitzki, 38, paid casual correctional officer Michael Clift, 51, a total of $17,300 between January 2018 and June 2018 in exchange for a supply of tobacco.
Since 2015, smoking cigarettes in NSW prisons has been made illegal with tobacco considered contraband.
“Tobacco is contraband in all correctional centres in NSW and as a result is worth considerably more money than in normal society,” the agreed facts read.
Mr Isbitzki appeared via audiovisual link on Wednesday at Waverley Local Court and was sentenced to a prison term of eight months for corruptly give/offer to give an agent a benefit.
However, his sentence was back dated and he has been released from custody.
Mr Clift was also sentenced in September last year for three smuggling and corruption offences and was given a suspended sentence for a nine-month term of imprisonment, narrowly avoiding being sent to prison.
The agreed facts stated Mr Isbitzki was serving a two-year prison term when he struck up an arrangement with Mr Clift, who was working as a casual guard.
Mr Isbitzki’s sister would pay Mr Clift money in exchange for tobacco and tobacco items.
“(The contraband) was subsequently on-sold to other inmates by Jason Isbitzki,” the facts read.
Police monitored Mr Isbitzki’s phone calls between January 2018 and June 2018 before laying charges against the pair.
“It is clear that the accused contacted his sister in order for her to access her bank account and check on deposits made by other inmates in payment for contraband,” the agreed facts read.
“The accused also instructed his sister on when and how much to transfer to Michael Clift.”
Mr Clift was paid $17,300 over six months in 10 separate transactions.
Police found that Mr Isbitzki’s sister was unaware of the offences and that she was told the payments were for a debt her brother owed a friend.
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