The largest-ever attempt to smuggle cell phones into jail for imprisoned terrorists found on (in) the body of a single detainee was thwarted Sunday night, the Israel Prison Service (IPS) announced.
During the night, the IPS guards at Ofer Prison received a detainee who was arrested by the police for breaking into a vehicle.
The detainee is a 23-year-old resident of Jericho in the Palestinian Authority.
During the detainee’s processing before entering the prison, the guards performed a manual magnetometer test, which went off in the lower part of the detainee’s body and raised the suspicion that he was hiding prohibited means. The suspicion intensified in light of his attempt to bring about his rapid absorption into the facility.
After further questioning by the prison staff, the detainee admitted that he had hidden foreign bodies and subsequently emitted 24 small makeshift mobile phones, 18 SIM cards and four speakers.
This is the IPS’ biggest exposure of an attempt by a single detainee to smuggle phones into prison.
The detainee was transferred to solitary confinement and a police investigation was launched.
“Thanks to the vigilance and professionalism of the prison guards, the entry of many prohibited measures that generate crime and terrorism has been prevented. IPS guards will continue to do everything possible to protect the security of the country’s residents and maintain order within the detention facilities,” the IPS stated.
The IPS thwarts hundreds of attempted cell-phone smuggling operations annually. The detainees, usually minors, commit small offenses with the objective of being arrested so that they have the opportunity to smuggle the phones to security prisoners.
The cell-phones are then used by terrorists in prison to orchestrate terror attacks and maintain the connections with the terror network they were a part of.