00:00Senior police and prison officials confirm that more than 150 people have been charged in the past two years, inmates,
00:07civilians and prison officers.
00:09At least eight officers are already before the courts, while investigators are probing the alleged involvement of more than 45
00:16other prison officers.
00:17The contraband trade is lucrative. A cigarette worth cents outside becomes a prized commodity inside.
00:24Cell phones and drugs command even higher prices, giving inmates direct access to the outside world and the ability to
00:32maintain criminal ties despite incarceration.
00:35Authorities say the real battle is not just seizing contraband, but dismantling the supply chain.
00:41Who finances it? Who moves it? And who allows it through prison gates?
00:46Investigators have uncovered methods ranging from drones dropping packages to visitors concealing items.
00:52But the gravest threat comes from insiders with legitimate access.
00:57One law enforcement source said, open quote,
01:00Finding the package is only the beginning. The question is who paid for it, who supplied it, and where the
01:06money went, close quote.
01:08Joined operations at the maximum security prison, Golden Grove, and Port of Spain have seized prohibited items.
01:14But investigators warn the profits may be flowing into wider criminal networks, drugs, firearms, extortion, and violent crime.
01:22And the cell phone remains the most menacing contraband.
01:26Phones seized during searches are sometimes replaced the same day, allowing inmates to plot crimes and direct operations from behind
01:34bars.
01:35Technology has complicated the fight.
01:38Drones can deliver packages worth thousands of dollars.
01:41But investigators say the greatest risk is facilitation by prison officers themselves, insiders who can bypass layers of security.
01:49Only yesterday morning prison authorities intercepted a drone attempting to drop contraband off at the Port of Spain prison.
01:57Witness reluctance is another obstacle.
01:59Some officers refuse to give statements, while others change their accounts, raising fears of retaliation and workplace loyalties.
02:08Without admissible evidence, cases can collapse even when investigators believe crimes have been committed.
02:14Beyond contraband, intelligence points to an extortion economy.
02:18Families of inmates are allegedly pressured into transferring money for protection.
02:22Those payments often occur outside prison walls, making them almost impossible to trace.
02:28The investigation raises a fundamental question.
02:31What does imprisonment achieve if offenders can still move money, maintain influence, and direct criminal activity from behind bars?
02:41Authorities say this is no longer just a prison management issue.
02:45It is a criminal enterprise with implications for national security.
02:49Mark Bazant, TV6 News.
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