8,300+ Items Seized in GA Prisons in 4th Quarter

The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) says more than 8,300 items were collected during the fourth quarter of 2019 as part of the the contraband seizure efforts.

The agency says it ‘strives to prevent contraband from entering facilities on daily basis,’ but that is not always easy to implement. GDC, in a recent news release, credited the efforts to combat contraband to the continuing improvements in front-line staff training, technological methods, and full facility shakedowns which resulted in the seizure of 8,393 contraband items during the fourth quarter of 2019.

“We stand committed in our continuing efforts to bring justice to those who pose a threat to the safe and secure operations of our facility,” said Commissioner Timothy C. Ward said in the press release.  “We applaud the work of our GDC staff who remain vigilant in detecting contraband inside our facilities.”

Through the collaboration of our Office of Professional Standards, GDC Tactical Squads and K9 Units, the following items were confiscated between October and December 2019:

• 2563 cell phones
• 478 cell phone chargers
• 2563 handmade weapons
• 7,142.53 grams of marijuana (24 bags/balloons)
• 106,366.92 grams of tobacco (1150 bags/balloons)
• 3,334.39 grams of methamphetamine (107 bags/balloons)
• 1057.30 grams of cocaine (3 bag)
• 3,212.50 ounces of alcohol (44 bottles)
• 303 pills
• 20 syringes
• 17 SIM/SD cards

The GDC also conducted shakedown operations to detect 1,121 items in the fourth quarter of 2019. A total of 14 shakedowns were completed at 14 of the 35 state prisons

Fourth quarter shakedown seizures included:

• 136 cell phones
• 877 handmade weapons
• 705.70 grams of marijuana (12 occurrences)
• 1691.71 grams of tobacco (11 occurrences)
• 1046.80 grams of cocaine/ecstasy (1 occurrences)
• 224.70 grams of methamphetamine (4 occurrences)
• 522.50 ounce of homemade alcohol (3 occurrences)
• 77 unidentified pills

The Georgia Department of Corrections asks that anyone with information on staff and inmates involved in criminal activity contact the agency by clicking here.