Cessnock Jail: Corrective Service officers foil alleged attempts to smuggle contraband by drone and tennis ball
Inmates, friends and family are thinking of more inventive ways to smuggle drugs into prisons after Corrective Service NSW officers thwarted two alleged attempts at Cessnock Jail this weekend including using a drone to drop-off contraband.
Newcastle
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With a visitation ban in NSW prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic, inmates, families and friends are thinking of more inventive ways of trying to smuggle drugs into prison.
There’s been more alleged attempts to smuggle contraband into Cessnock Jail this weekend, only to be thwarted by Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) officers.
The Security Operations Group (SOG) North stopped and searched a vehicle near Cessnock Jail, on Pinchen St Nulkaba, on Sunday morning, after officers received a tip-off a contraband drop-off was set to happen.
That information proved to be handy, after police allegedly discovered a drone, which had a line of string attached to a package containing 108 buprenorphine strips, 42 buprenorphine tablets, 0.9 grams of ‘green vegetable matter’ believed to be cannabis, a mobile phone and cash.
Each strip or tablet of buprenorphine has a current prison value of around $1,000.
Rachael Harding, 28, was charged with drive motor vehicle while license suspended and a breach of bail. She was granted conditional bail at Newcastle Local Court on Monday for her matters to be shifted to Parramatta Local Court tomorrow.
A 19-year-old Bonnyrigg man was charged with supply prohibited drug less than commercial quantity and possess prohibited drug and was granted conditional bail to appear at Cessnock Local Court in August.
A 22-year-old North Parramatta man was also charged with supply prohibited drug less than commercial quantity. He was granted conditional bail to also appear at Cessnock Local Court in August.
Also acting on intelligence, SOG North officers prevented cannabis, tobacco and buprenorphine hidden in a tennis ball from entering the jail on Saturday.
During surveillance of an area of the prison grounds at about 1pm, they noticed a man hiding behind a shrub and cut logs.
He attempted to flee before officers detained and arrested him and called police. A tennis ball allegedly loaded with contraband was found nearby.
Steven Pritchard was charged with seven offences, including supply prohibited drug, possess prohibited drug, bring prohibited drug/plant into place of detention, unlawfully bring anything into place of detention and enter inclosed land.
In Newcastle Local Court on Monday he pleaded guilty to each charged, his matters adjourned until next month.
It comes as just last month a man was charged for attempting to hurl a tennis ball allegedly full of drugs over a wall at Cessnock Jail.
The 31-year-old’s alleged plan came unstuck when his getaway bike careered into a tree.
CSNSW Commissioner Peter Severin said the operation showed great work by the team at Cessnock in preventing illicit substances from getting into the prison system.
“Since visits were cancelled to correctional centres in March due to COVID-19, we’ve seen people increasingly using mail, drones and tennis balls in an attempt to smuggle drugs into our prisons,” Mr Severin said.
“The good work by our correctional centre staff and our SOG teams in searching for and detecting contraband should send a clear message to these people that we are alert and you will get caught.
“Our officers are proactive and undertake daily contraband searches of inmates, cells and common areas, with the assistance of the SOG.
“These searches also focus on inmate mail and prison perimeter fences.”
Hunter Valley Police Crime Manager, Detective Inspector Matt Zimmer, said local police will continue to work closely with corrective services to target crime connected with correctional facilities.
“Illicit drugs can cause detrimental harm inside facilities and in our communities, and all agencies will continue to work together to reduce the supply of the illegal drug trade,” Det Insp Zimmer said.
Investigations continue.