BABIES USED TO SMUGGLE DRUGS INTO JAILS

Wellington: Adult prison visitors have stooped to the "appalling" level of
hiding drugs in babies' nappies and their own bodies in an attempt to
smuggle drugs to inmates, according to the Corrections Department.

Commissioner for Children Roger McClay said the practice was "disgraceful
abuse".

Last Thursday, Corrections Department national crime prevention
co-ordinator Tony Coyle revealed children were being used to smuggle drugs
into jails.

No exact smuggling figures were kept, but the problem was highlighted by a
man who was recently arrested twice in two days when children in his care
were found to be carrying cannabis.

Mr Coyle said in some instances drugs had simply been handed by adults to
children for them to put in their pockets in the hope that they would not
be searched.

Other cases involved the "secretion of drugs" in or on babies' nappies or
carry-type car seats.

The department had also found adult visitors, particularly women, were
hiding drugs internally. They removed the drugs in prison toilets or during
physical contact with inmates.

Mr Coyle said as some of these cases were still before the courts, he could
not go into details.

Prison staff could search articles such as prams and bags, but could not
rub-down visitors without consent. Police had to be called in to conduct
strip searches of children and adults.

"The placing of drugs on children and babies is appalling behaviour that a
few individuals appear to be stooping to," Mr Coyle said.

Howard League for Penal Reform spokesman Kathy Dunstall said it was right
that police were called to strip search visitors.

Mr McClay said he had heard people were buying small canisters that could
be filled with cannabis and secreted inside the body.

"What does that say about the mentality of people who do that? It's
absolute abuse of children. It's one of the meanest things you could do.
"People are sick and tired of stupid parents who have no regard for the
dignity of children. Common sense says it is against the law and too risky
to do such things."

He said people who did such things should have their children taken off
them straight away. The people involved had to be charged with child abuse.

Children would be affected psychologically by being used as drugs carriers
and then being subjected to searches, Mr McClay said.

The most common drug smuggled in to prison is cannabis, with nearly 97% of
inmates who return positive drug tests found to have been using cannabis. - NZPA