Port Phillip Prison officer accused of dealing drugs to bikies

A guard was sacked from Port Phillip Prison amid an inquiry into his activities over a period of months.

A prison officer is accused of dealing drugs to bikies at a Melbourne maximum security jail. Picture: File Image

A prison officer is accused of dealing drugs to bikies at a Melbourne maximum security jail.

The guard was sacked from Port Phillip Prison on Tuesday amid an inquiry into his activities over a period of months.

It is unclear how the allegations emerged last week before the officer was confronted by management.

The Herald Sun understands the worker has not been a long-term Port Phillip staffer.

The allegations against him have been referred to Victoria Police for investigation.

It is believed the staff member has been spoken to by detectives and their inquiry is continuing.

It is not clear how the contraband was being smuggled behind the prison’s walls.

Port Phillip has one of the state’s biggest contingents of jailed outlaw motorcycle gang members, among them figures from the feared Comanchero outfit.

Staff being compromised by the criminals they guard is one of the perennial issues confronting those who run correctional services.

Privately run Port Phillip, at Truganina in the western suburbs, is the state’s largest maximum security prison.

It is not clear how the contraband was being smuggled behind the prison’s walls. Picture: David Caird

It had a capacity of 1117 in 2019 and houses killers, organised crime figures and large-scale drug traffickers, among other offenders.

Prison operator G4S said it expected all staff to uphold the “highest standards of professionalism and integrity.”

“We have made significant investments in new equipment and technology to detect, intercept and confiscate drugs and other contraband getting into Port Phillip Prison,” a spokesperson said.

“Any allegation or intelligence received relating to corruption or other criminal acts are immediately referred to law enforcement and proactively monitored and investigated by G4S.

Allegations of the kind levelled against the Port Phillip worker have been rare in Victoria in the past.

In 2012, authorities exposed a scandal involving staff providing drugs to prisoners at Barwon Prison, near Geelong.

An officer was later charged with supplying to a drug ring linked to Hells Angels bikie and killer CBD gunman Christopher Wayne Hudson.

The officer was later jailed for two years.