A woman has been charged after allegedly being caught with a homemade taser, drugs and prescription medication at an Adelaide prison.
On Monday, the SA Police corrections team and the Department for Correctional Services (DCS) conducted a search for contraband at the Yatala Labour Prison in Northfield.
The 48-year-old Mitchell Park woman was arrested after allegedly being in possession of a homemade taser, four grams of suspected methamphetamine, drug scales, an ice pipe, packages containing 59 suboxone strips (a drug used to treat opioid use disorder) and $5,500 in cash.
Police later seized 70 suboxone strips, cannabis, mobile phones and other suspected drugs and paraphernalia after a search of the woman’s home.
The woman has been charged with introducing a prohibited item into a correctional facility, introducing a prohibited item into a buffer zone of a correctional facility, trafficking drugs and unlawful possession of the cash.
New penalties for having contraband in buffer zones
In 2021, laws came into effect introducing penalties for possessing prohibited items in prison buffer zones, which are government-owned land surrounding a correctional facility, including visitor car parks.
Detective Chief Inspective Naomi Oberscheidt said police continued to support DCS to stop the supply of contraband into prisons.
“We run a number of operations specifically targeting visitors who think they can bring drugs into jails,” she said.
“You run a strong chance of being caught if you choose to take the risk.”
The woman has been bailed to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court in June.
Police say anyone with information can report it anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online.
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