BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections conducted a large-scale early morning shakedown at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center Thursday. The objective of the crackdown was to search for illicit drugs, cellphones, weapons and other contraband smuggled into the prison. Approximately 130 officers from Louisiana's state prisons and Probation and Parole Districts across the state assisted Elayn Hunt Correctional Center staff during the large-scale operation. The officers fanned out across the prison at 3:45 a.m. in search of contraband.

Today's shakedown resulted in the confiscation of various quantities of contraband including one pound, 4.55 ounces of marijuana, 5.45 ounces of synthetic marijuana, 6.75 ounces of crystal meth, .6 ounces of ecstasy pills, 38 suboxone strips, 23 sheets of synthetic paper marijuana, 77 assorted pills, four packs of rolling papers, three packs of cigars, two scales, 60 homemade weapons (shanks), 100 cellphones, 60 cellphone chargers, three sim cards, 29 cigarette lighters, and three gallons of homemade beer.

"I applaud our employees at all of our institutions for what they are doing to fight the smuggling," said Jimmy Le Blanc, secretary, Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. "We are making progress in our fight to rid our state prisons of contraband, but we must stay the course, and continue our aggressive efforts. We are not alone in the fight against contraband, state departments of corrections across the country face the same daily battle we face here in Louisiana. Contraband puts our staff and offenders at risk, so it is imperative we continue our efforts to prevent the infiltration of these illegal items into our correctional institutions."

In addition to the correctional officers and Probation and Parole officers, 12 Department of Corrections dog teams from Louisiana's state prisons assisted in the search for contraband.

During today's operation, officers also drug tested approximately 200 inmates.

The participating officers were from Allen Correctional Center, Dixon Correctional Institute, Elayn Hunt Correctional Center, Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women, Louisiana State Penitentiary, Rayburn Correctional Center, and Raymond Laborde Correctional Center, along with Probation and Parole Officers from the following districts: Amite, Baton Rouge, Covington, Feliciana, New Orleans, West Baton Rouge, and Headquarters.

An investigation is underway, and the Department will pursue charges against and discipline prisoners and anyone involved in the smuggling of these illegal items, and will continue its aggressive efforts against contraband with more shakedowns in the future.

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