Scandal - Jail smugglers hid drugs in baby clothes (Ireland)

[Lunar Loops]

This from The Irish Independent (article link):

Jail smugglers hid drugs in baby clothes
From The Irish Independent Sunday, 7th September, 2008


An attempt to flood Mountjoy Prison with a consignment of high-grade heroin concealed in a baby's romper suit has been thwarted by a sniffer dog.
The drugs haul with a street value of €4,000 but worth up to €10,000 in prison was stitched inside the babygro worn by a 12 month old child.
It follows an attempt at the Midlands prison to conceal drugs in a baby's nappy. The sniffer dogs are now routinely used to screen visitors to enclosed prisons around the country.
The dogs are trained to sit beside a person when they detect the presence of drugs.
Prison officers initially grew suspicious when Mountie the sniffer dog took an interest in the baby's pram. But it took a search lasting some time before the 15 grammes of high grade heroin was found in the child's clothing.
Mountjoy Prison has the largest methadone treatment clinic in the country and is known to have a serious illegal drug culture.
Last week a minor protest was staged by inmates in the Midlands prison following the introduction of tougher new security measures designed to root out drugs and stop the smuggling of phones and other contraband into the institution.
A group of 18 prisoners climbed over the bars around a landing and stood for a time on the protective netting separating the floors.
It is understood that their action was a protest against the new security measures in place at the prison, which the prison service say are yielding success.
A spokesman for the prison service said that the officers at Mountjoy brought the protest to a conclusion without any injuries to people or damage to property.
It is understood the protest was sparked when a female visitor to one of the prisoners was stopped by prison officers, and subsequently arrested by gardai on suspicion of trying to smuggle in drugs.
It is understood that those involved have been separated to different parts of the prison complex as punishment.
Recent reports by visiting committees overseeing the main prisons suggest that drug use is still rife across the entire system. The visiting committee of Mountjoy said drugs were widely available, with non-drug users being pressured by others to smuggle in contraband.
The visiting committee at Limerick Prison said prisoners who were drug-free on committal risked becoming addicted because drugs were so readily available.
At Wheatfield Prison in Dublin, non-drug-using prisoners and their families were being pressured into bringing in drugs.
Meanwhile, mobile phone signal blocking technology is being developed at the Midlands prison and the results so far are said to be encouraging.

[PingoTango]

So am I led to believe that they let a sniffer dog forage around in a baby's pram for "some time"? Pretty irresponsible...