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Breakup of contraband smuggling ring implicates prison guards

A contraband ring broken up at the Coffield Unit in Palestine shows how inmates, prison staff and family members on the outside combine to engage in illicit smuggling, reports Mike Ward at the Austin Statesman:Troubling new details surfaced Wednesday about the depth of illegal smuggling inside Texas' massive prison system, including revealing glimpses into how convicts may be operating drug- and money-laundering rackets with the help of guards and family members.The new information surfaced in 20 pages of court filings in Travis County, revealing that authorities are investigating a 21-year-old Waco woman and at least five convicts for alleged organized criminal activity at the Coffield Unit near Palestine in East Texas.According to a search-warrant affidavit, investigators listening in on phone calls made by several convicts at Coffield and intercepting ingoing and outgoing mail believe that some convicts are arranging for their family members to deposit money in one another's accounts, with the arranging inmate taking a cut of as much as 25 percent...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on May 06, 2010 (boomark / email).