Twenty people have been charged after mobile phones allegedly supplied to prisoners by prison staff were used to run drug importation and contraband trafficking operations from inside correctional facilities, police say.
Detective Inspector Colin Parmenter said police began an investigation, dubbed Operation Jasper, into alleged criminal activity at the Mount Eden Corrections Facility in July last year.
Initially, the probe focused on activities of sentenced and remand prisoners.
"We will allege that some of those prisoners were coordinating drug importations and drug-related transactions from within prison."
He said "concerningly", corrections officers were identified as being involved.
"Several staff working in Mt Eden were allegedly involved in smuggling mobile phones, drugs, tobacco and other contraband into prison in exchange for cash.
"Police believe the phones were used by prisoners to continue drug importation and distribution activities from within the Mt Eden facility."
Operation Jasper then expanded to examine the Auckland South Correctional Facility (ASCF), based in Wiri.
Allegations of bribery and contraband smuggling emerge as police probe gang-linked activity across Auckland jails. (Source: Breakfast)
Parmenter said evidence was identified that implicated several reintegration officers employed by Serco allegedly engaging in similar practices.
"It will be alleged this involved smuggling controlled drugs and tobacco for financial gain."
This week, 25 search warrants were carried out around the Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions, with a cell search also undertaken at Spring Hill Corrections Facility.
"Overall, those charged include nine Corrections Officers from the Mt Eden Corrections Facility, one from Spring Hill Corrections Facility, five Reintegration Officers from the Auckland South Corrections Facility, and five members of the public.
"To date there has been 108 charges laid in relation to this investigation."
The criminal offending was so serious that police said the corruption and bribery charges required the Attorney-General's consent.
Parmenter said police had worked closely with Corrections and Serco, with all involved committed to "rooting out corruption and preventing this criminal offending from taking place".
"There has been an incredible amount of work put into this investigation to get where we are to date, but as matters are now subject to court proceedings we will be limited in providing any further comments."
Those arrested were from the Auckland and Bay of Plenty regions and would be appearing in the Auckland District Court.
'Largest operation we've seen of this kind'
Speaking to Breakfast this morning, Corrections Association of New Zealand president Floyd du Plessis said the situation, while serious, was not unexpected.
"Unfortunately this is the largest operation we've seen of this kind."
Du Plessis said the arrests came after long-standing warnings from the union about corruption risks inside prisons.
"For quite some time… we've been asking for additional training, awareness, and ramping up protections around entry and exit out of the prison to help prevent these things from happening."
He said staff regularly faced attempts by prisoners and outside associates to influence or manipulate them.
"On a regular basis, there are attempts by these groups to influence staff, manipulate staff, all those from a very minor level to a high level," he said.
"Some of these things take months or years, where they slowly just work away - find weaknesses. We've also had examples where we've had people turn up to staff members' houses and threaten them, intimidate them into doing things."
Despite the scale of the arrests, du Plessis stressed the alleged offending involved a small proportion of the workforce.
"It’s 14 staff out of thousands… for the most part, staff around the country do a phenomenally good job."
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