Page 46 - Security Today, September/October 2023

Contraband in Our Prisons AI many be the solution for finding concealed drugs By Karen Kingham According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse glers still see the risk outweighed by the benefit. With today’s prison currency rates, drugs can command up to 10 times higher in the United States, the National Center for than current street rates. Health Statistics quote that more than 106,000 persons in the United States died from drug in- Within the global prison estates, however, this increase of fen- tanyl as the drug of preference is causing great concern – it can volved overdoses in 2021. Of those, deaths involv- take just one person to bring fentanyl into a prison to create havoc. ing synthetic opioids other than methadone (primarily fentanyl) continued to rise with 70,601 overdose deaths reported in 2021. In July this year, a female inmate smuggled fentanyl in a body cavity, into Adams County Jail in Ohio. The effect on the jail was Fentanyl is the drug of choice for body cavity smugglers be- unmitigated. Inmates and corrections officers were taken to a cause it is a highly addictive opioid said to be up to 50 times stronger than heroin. Both characteristics make it highly valuable hospital and were treated for exposure to the drug. Several inmates showed signs of fentanyl overdose, and offi- for dealers as they get more bang for their buck given that the cers and EMT’s who were searching cells for the drug also fell ill supply is limited. It is however, also known to cause accidental overdoses and death. and were taken to a hospital. As a precaution the entire jail was vacated and temporarily rehoused while a hazmat crew decon- In June 2023, in just one interception, Customs and Border taminated the jail. Protection (CBP) officers seized 858,000 fentanyl pills that were concealed inside porcelain sinks. The detection was from screening Adams County Chief Deputy Bob Rebusch said, “Fentanyl is the big concern right now, and just a little can have such a devas- using a port imaging system, and then a canine detection team. tating effect.” (As reported by Spectrum News) But, concealing in inert object is one thing, concealing drugs in human body cavities is quite another. It is a practice that has Also, this month, in Putnam County Jail, Tennessee, eight fe- male inmates were taken to a hospital after taking a mixture of been gathering pace around the world, despite the significant fentanyl and heroin that two of the inmates had smuggled into health risks to the smuggler. Contraband has been found in the mouth, ears, rectum, colon, vagina, abdomen and penis, as well as the jail through their body cavities. “I am glad that none of the corrections officers or inmates hidden in surgically created cavities. However, regardless of both the health risk, and that of the risk of a prison sentence, smug- have died due to the use or exposure of the deadly drug fentanyl. Ultraskrip/Shutterstock.com 46 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023 | SECURITY TODAY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE