Women arrested in prison carpark with drugs

The arrest of two women attempting to pick up a friend they thought was being released from Auckland Region Women’s Corrections Facility yesterday highlights the vigilance undertaken in keeping drugs out of prison.

“The women had been told by their friend’s lawyer that she had been granted bail and would need a ride home from the prison,” says Assistant Regional Manager Vicki Muir.

“We had a team of staff conducting a training exercise with drug dog handlers in the prison car park. The exercise was in relation to searching vehicles and visitors entering the facility and locating contraband items.”

“The two women were stopped by the staff and the specialist search dogs were deployed into the vehicle. One of the dogs indicated the presence of drugs, prompting staff to conduct a thorough search of the car.”

“Staff found a cannabis cigarette in the cars ashtray and in one of the women’s bags they found a point bag with 0.4 grams of methamphetamine inside and a joint. The other woman had gun ammunition and cannabis seeds in her bag. The pair were detained while Police were notified, and the women were then arrested. I imagine they are pretty unhappy with their friend’s lawyer – because their friend wasn’t being released that day.”

“The majority of the prisoners we manage have long histories of using and abusing drugs. Drugs are common in their social circles and are often linked to their crime. While they are in prison and away from these lifestyles we work to eliminate their dependencies and restrict their access to drugs. It is then that we have a much better chance of reducing their risk of reoffending,” says Mrs Muir.

“The staff who were conducting the training got to put their newly-learnt skills into action straight away, which was exciting for them. They did a fantastic job and I know they’re keen to keep up their success rate and keep working to prevent illegal substances and other contraband coming on to prison property.”

ENDS

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