Sarah McMillan/cvnznews.com
Police have filed a new round of charges in a sweeping corruption investigation spanning several North Island prisons, bringing the total number of accused to 24 and exposing what investigators describe as serious, organised criminal activity inside the corrections system.
The latest 33 charges — added to the 108 already before the courts — were laid in the Auckland District Court on Monday. They include allegations of offering and accepting bribes, smuggling contraband, and facilitating drug‑related offending from inside prison walls. Because of the seriousness of the bribery and corruption allegations, police say the charges required the Attorney‑General’s consent to prosecute.
Those charged include Corrections officers, reintegration officers, and members of the public linked to prisoners. Most appeared in court on Monday, some in custody and others on bail. Several entered not‑guilty pleas, while others were remanded without plea. All 24 accused currently have interim name suppression, with a hearing scheduled in October to determine whether suppression should continue. A case review hearing has been set for December.
The investigation began at Mt Eden Corrections Facility in July 2025, initially focusing on prisoners allegedly coordinating drug importation and distribution from inside the jail. Detective Inspector Colin Parmenter of the national organised crime group said investigators later identified Corrections staff suspected of smuggling mobile phones, drugs, tobacco and other contraband into the prison in exchange for cash.
Police believe the phones were used to continue drug‑related operations from within Mt Eden.
The inquiry later expanded to Auckland South Corrections Facility in Wiri, where reintegration officers employed by Serco were allegedly involved in similar offending, including smuggling controlled drugs and tobacco for financial gain. Additional charges include conspiring to sell cannabis and supply methamphetamine to prisoners.
Deputy Commissioner for Men’s Prisons Dave Pattinson said criminal activity inside prisons would not be tolerated. “The overwhelming majority of our 11,000 staff act with integrity and professionalism in an extremely demanding environment,” he said.
