NSW Police are searching for a man who was caught on CCTV lobbing four parcels over a fence at Goulburn Prison. Authorities say the parcels contained 16 mobile phones, 15 chargers and eight SIM cards. They were intercepted by guards before any prisoners could retrieve them. Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Severin noted the “unusual” scale of this operation, and praised the staff member who located the items.
Mobile phones are dangerous for prisons, as they can be used to coordinate gang activities, including drug deals and the distribution of other contraband. In 2015 alone, Special Ops seized 81 mobiles, 60 chargers, 46 SIMs and 29 USB sticks from entering NSW prisons. In response, Goulburn prison, which houses minimum, maximum and Supermax inmates, is now planning to trial signal jamming technology.
In February 2016, convicted triple murderer Kon Georgiou made headlines when he refused to hand over the mobile phone that he'd kept clenched in his ass. He staged a hunger strike in an attempt to stop his bowel movements, but ultimately shat out the device on the twelfth day. Both situations here prove the fact that what goes up, must come down – but maybe not when and where you want it to.
