Port Phillip Prison guard linked to jail drug smuggling
A prison guard has become entangled in an organised crime taskforce investigation into drug smuggling at a maximum security jail in Melbourne’s west.
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A prison guard has become entangled in an organised crime taskforce investigation into drug smuggling at a maximum security jail.
An employee at Port Phillip Prison is believed to be under scrutiny from Purana taskforce detectives as part of a drug-smuggling investigation.
The Herald Sun believes the drug buprenorphine is at the centre of the inquiry.
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“Bupe” commands high prices behind bars and has risen to become the biggest problem drug in the prison system.
One theory is that the guard had been stood over by criminals in the western suburbs prison.
Port Phillip houses some of the most dangerous criminals in the state, and there have been violent struggles for years to control the drug trade inside the prison.
Buprenorphine is a prescription drug taken as a replacement in the treatment of heroin and methadone dependence.
Authorities have previously found the drug crushed into a paste and spread under stamps and even over children’s drawings.
It has also been found hidden in shoes and sewn into clothing.
An August 2018 report by Corrections Victoria into drug use in the prison system found that buprenorphine was by far the most used drug among inmates, according to urine analysis.
In the year to August, buprenorphine accounted for 67.71 per cent of positive drug tests in Victorian jails. The next highest was amphetamines on 17.71 per cent.
There have been reports that buprenorphine can cost 30 times more in jail than on the black market outside.
“Purana Taskforce detectives are investigating allegations of drug smuggling within a correctional facility at Truganina,” a police spokeswoman said. “As the investigation is ongoing, it wouldn’t be appropriate to comment further.”
G4S director of justice operations, Brett McMerrin, said information gathered by the prison’s security intelligence unit led to “an investigation into an allegation of contraband trafficking”.
“The safety, security and welfare of the public, our staff and all prisoners is of paramount importance to G4S,” he said.
“We take any allegation of wrongdoing seriously and will always refer any alleged criminal activity to Victoria Police.”