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Thursday, March 20, 2008

Prison On Lookout For Drugs

By Laura Nesbitt
Mountain View Telegraph
    When Torrance County Detention Facility officers were performing a random patrol of the jail's parking lot March 6, they noticed some suspicious substances in plain view in an unlocked 1997 Ford Explorer.
    Officers opened the door of the parked SUV and noticed a "strong odor of marijuana," and found 5.9 grams of heroin, 2.5 grams of cocaine and 17.2 grams of marijuana, according to a statement of probable cause.
    Patrick Moya, 24, of Albuquerque was at the jail about to visit an inmate when officers called him back to his SUV.
    "He went to visit, and he got a longer stay than he anticipated," said Estancia Police Chief Jimmy Chavez.
    Moya was charged with bringing contraband into the prison, three counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession of paraphernalia. On March 17 Moya waived his preliminary hearing in Moriarty Magistrate Court in front of Magistrate Steve Jones.
    "We will take care of things in District Court," said Kathleen Rhinehart, Moya's public defender.
    In an interview Tuesday Warden Robert Ezell said the correctional facility has several security methods to combat the problem of illegal drugs.
    "First, anyone is subject to search, and their vehicle is subject to search. You give up that right" when you come to visit any inmate, Ezell said.
    The prison's "first line of defense" is a 6-year-old drug-sniffing German shepherd named Anuk and his handler, said Chris Rhoads, chief of security, who preferred not to give the handler's name for security reasons.
    The handler was certified through a nationally accredited agency in Arizona to perform drug searches with Anuk.
    Even though it is a felony for a visitor to bring or an inmate to possess a controlled substance, such as drugs, into a prison, there have been two incidents this year, Rhoads said.
    Drugs might be brought to inmates by visitors, staff or even in inmate mail.
    "It's not as easy (to get drugs) in a prison as on the streets, but the possibility is always there. We have very sound precautionary measures for control. The staff do a fantastic job. But there is no miracle solution," Rhoads said.
    "It's something that we don't like to talk about" but drugs do sometimes make it past the lines of defense that the prison has installed, Ezell said.
    So Anuk works odd hours and a varied schedule performing random searches of visitors, staff and inmates.
    When a search is performed, visitors and staff stand behind a security screen. The dog is on passive alert, Rhoads said, meaning she will jump or sit to signal to the handler that the person standing behind the screen is carrying drugs.
    The handler also performs random cell searches with Anuk, Rhoads said.
    Random drug testing by urinalysis is performed on all staff, including the warden, and inmates. "Ten (percent) to 15 percent of the (inmate) population is tested on a monthly basis," which averages out to about 45 to 50 drug tests a month, Rhoads said.
    Another security feature of the prison is that the public is unable to drive completely around the perimeter of the prison, making it difficult for drugs to be thrown over the fence to get them to inmates.
    All inmate phone calls are recorded, which is another security check.
    "We have someone who listens to the phone calls. We get some pretty good information," Ezell said.
    "It's usually not a tip, but we pick up that they're using code words, street slang" and officers learn from that slang, Rhoads said.
    And drugs are a valuable commodity inside of a prison.
    "It's basic economics. Supply and demand on price. Demand is high and supply is low, so it raises the price. It's no different" than on the street, Rhoads said.
    Methamphetamines, marijuana, cocaine, heroin and barbiturates have all been found on inmates and visitors.
    "The drug culture doesn't change. The drug of choice on the street" is the drug of choice in the prison, Ezell said.