Crystal meth smuggled inside mother and child unit at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre

Inmates were forced into lockdown after prison guards uncovered a stash of ice hidden inside the mother and child unit at Melbourne’s Dame Phyllis Frost Centre.

Dame Phyllis Frost Centre is a women’s maximum security prison in Melbourne’s west. Picture: Mark Dadswell

Prison guards have uncovered a stash of illicit drugs hidden inside the mother and child unit at a notorious women’s maximum security prison in Melbourne’s west.

The Sunday Herald Sun understands about 26 grams of crystal methamphetamine was smuggled into Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in recent months.

The contraband was discovered by officers in the area dedicated to inmates living with their young kids.

The cottage style units feature self-contained kitchens, living spaces, bedrooms and bathrooms.

Children have access to the grounds and facilities but it is the responsibility of the mum to ensure the child’s safety.

A prison source said all inmates were forced into lockdown for 24-hours while the unit was searched by officers.

The source said the prison increased its sniffer dog patrols to three days a week following the discovery of the ice.

A stash of meth was found inside the Mother and Child unit. Picture: Mark Dadswell

A Department of Justice and Community spokesperson said no children were in the unit at the time.

“This incident was detected quickly which proves our methods work,” they said.

“We have a zero tolerance approach to drugs in the Victorian prison system and any breach is treated seriously.

“Victoria’s prison system has one of the toughest, most extensive contraband detection regimes in Australia and we are constantly adapting to new methods tried by people to smuggle drugs.”

Last year, the Herald Sun revealed that 1.7 grams of illicit substances were smuggled into the prison.

The drugs were then linked to a horrifying rape where an inmate had her eye socket broken.

The inmate’s partner was forced to watch the assault and was then stabbed with a syringe believed to have contained blood and drugs.

The prisoner who bought the drugs inside the prison was not put through scanning equipment or searched on arrival.

It’s understood Corrections Victoria has since introduced new drone detection technology to target attempts to stop contraband.

Other practices include intelligence operations, system reviews, body scanning technology, x-ray machines and mail scanning.

Notorious prisoners currently being housed at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre include accused mushroom cook killer Erin Patterson, gangland matriarch Judy Moran and pedophile principal Malka Leifer.