Dame Phyllis Frost Centre has highest rate of inmates on meth

Victoria’s top female prison — home to the likes of underworld matriarch Judy Moran and pedophile principal Malka Leifer — is meth hotspot.

The state’s biggest women’s prison is the meth capital of the justice system, as ice use in correctional facilities has soared in the past 12 months.

Data released in the latest Drugs in Victorian Prisons report — published monthly — revealed a 53 per cent increase in prisoners testing positive to methamphetamines in the past year.

Women’s prison Dame Phyllis Frost centre in Melbourne’s west — home to underworld matriarch Judy Moran and pedophile principal Malka Leifer — was revealed as the meth capital among the state’s prisons, making up more than 32 per cent of positive results.

In the financial year to April 2024 there have been 140 positive results for meth across all prisons — up from 77 from the same time last year.

At the end of 2022/23 there were 91 positive results for meth, according to the June 2023 report, and 42 the year before.

This year has recorded the most positive results for meth since 2020.

Prison drug tests have detected a high rate of methamphetamines in the past year. Picture: iStock

The latest data showed meth now made up more than 15 per cent of all positive drug results inside prisons and has become the second most common drug detected after Buprenorphine – which is commonly used to treat opioid disorders.

About 230g of “powder and crystal” has been found during seizures of contraband in Victorian prisons in the year to April 2024.

It comes as the Herald Sun revealed guards seized 26g of crystal meth smuggled into the Dame Phyllis centre earlier this year. 

The prison also had the highest rate of inmates testing positive for amphetamines and the fourth highest rate of positive drug test results in the state.

Amphetamines were closely behind meth across the board as a popular drug behind bars with 110 positive cases between July 2023 and April 2024, with 37 per cent of positive results also coming out of Dame Phyllis.

Dame Phyllis Frost Centre had the highest rate of positive results for meth Picture: Mark Dadswell

Melbourne Remand Centre has the highest rate of positive drug test results so far this year, ahead of Port Phillip and Fulham Correctional Centre.

The positive rate across all locations for random drug tests has been 3.12 per cent so far this year, while about 11 per cent of “targeted drug tests” have returned positive results.

According to the report, targeted testing is “used by intelligence officers to identify and intervene in use, and a high positive rate may therefore indicate well directed intelligence”.

Metropolitan Remand Centre in Ravenhall has the highest rate of positive drug test results this year. (AAP Image/Joe Castro)

The most common seizures of contraband from visitors into prisoners so far this year has been smoking paraphernalia, with more than 2400 items found.

Security at Port Phillip prison, Fulham Correctional Unit and Ravenhall have seized the most smoking gear off visitors this year.

Likewise there have also been 682 “finds” of smoking paraphernalia off prisoners in the year to April 2024, with more than 3600 items confiscated.

More than 820 litres of alcohol was also found as part of seizures of contraband in jails.

Prisoners at Port Phillip and Marngoneet had the most alcohol taken off them.

Victoria Police directed inquiries to the Department of Justice.

A DJCS spokesperson said Corrections Victoria has implemented a “range of the methods” to detect drugs in prisons.

“The high detection rate of drugs means our methods are working,” they said.

“Measures in place include drone detection technology, X-ray machines, mail scanning, specialist dog teams, CCTV and regular cell checks by officers”.