Cannabis haul at jail gate

Prisoners wanting cannabis for Christmas will have to rethink their wishlist after a raid on cars and bags of visitors to Manawatu Prison.

Corrections Department staff, police and drug dogs searched about 50 visitors at a checkpoint outside the prison at the weekend.

Corrections officer Tracey Sinclair said it was good timing because they uncovered a large quantity of cannabis.

"We got a huge cannabis head. We even had a case where someone wrapped cannabis and taped it on to a green page of a magazine so that you nearly missed it when flipping through."

Pipes and drinking bottles used for smoking drugs, and a "knuckleduster" – a punching weapon carved out of a plastic chopping board – were also confiscated.

After the search, prison staff raided the cells of the 281 prisoners and found more improvised smoking devices.

The leadup to Christmas was a popular time for people trying to smuggle in contraband items to the prison, she said.

On the big day this Friday, Manawatu Prison inmates will tuck into a lunch of roast chicken, vegetables, bread, an apple and a fruit mince pie.

The sparse meals, which include a vegetarian option, cost about $4.50 each, and are the same in all of New Zealand's 20 prisons.

Corrections Department spokesman Russell Baker said the meal met basic nutritional requirements but was by no means lavish.

"The day's meals, around 22,000 of them, are prepared and cooked by prisoners which means they are also learning valuable skills by doing so." Dinner would consist of cold meats and salad, he said.

Manawatu Prison manager Peter Howe said Christmas Day would be be business as usual for prisoners and staff.

"Many people seem to have the impression that it is an extravagant affair, in reality it is Christmas but without the trimmings.

"We have prisoners who have been spending time using skills gained from art programmes to make gifts that they can send home for Christmas."

In some cases, the Prisoners Aid and Rehabilitation Society buys gifts and send them to friends and family on prisoners' behalf.

"Prisoners, depending on their security classifications, may spend some time involved in recreational activities such as touch rugby or basketball," Mr Howe said.

"They can also attend multi-denominational church services held by the prison chaplain."

What previous raids have uncovered:

Makeshift tattoo guns.

Plastic knives melted down and replaced with razor blades.Knives.

Large metallic rings and other "punching" weapons.

Recipes for making methamphetamine.

Gang patch drawing.

- © Fairfax NZ News