Blades common at Barwon

INMATES at the prison where drug kingpin Tony Mokbel was stabbed are being found with knives, shivs and edged weapons every few days, a new report reveals.

A total of 44 edged weapons were seized from inmates at the Lara prison in the first five months of 2018/19, according to the latest Corrections Victoria Drugs in Prisons Report.

More than 100 edged weap- ons were seized from inmates at the prison in the 2017/18 financial year, along with four seized from a single visitor to the prison in April.

The latest stats come as infamous drug lord Tony Mokbel continues to recover in hospital after being stabbed.

Two 21-year-old inmates are accused of the attack, allegedly using makeshift knives.

Teira Bennett and Eldea Teuira faced Geelong Magistrates Court by video link on Friday charged with Mokbel’s attempted murder. Both were remanded in custody, with their matters scheduled to be mentioned in court on May 10.

Minister for Corrections Ben Carroll said the State Government had invested in additional layers of security across the system to prevent drugs from entering prisons.

“There will be a full and independent investigation of this incident (involving Tony Mokbel) and we will have more to say on that soon. If there are learnings from this incident we will make them,” he said.

Mr Carroll said prison staff conducted “hundreds of thousands” of tests and searches each year to stop drugs entering the prison.

“Prisoners caught with contraband face tough management measures, which can include bans on receiving visitors, or being transferred to more secure units,” he said.

“Matters may also be referred to Victoria Police for criminal investigation.”

The latest Drugs in Prisons Report also revealed further contraband seizures from inmates, including 20 litres of alcohol and home-brew taken from prisoners in September, along with prescription medications, tools, syringes and needles.

A large quantity of heroin replacement drug buprenorphine was seized from prisoners in October.

The quantity of seized product was listed as 103.6 for the month of October, which is more than half of the total seized from prisoners in the entire 2017/18 financial year.

Buprenorphine, a cheap and widely available prescription opiate, has become the drug of choice for Australian prisoners, and was behind the vast majority of positive drug tests at Barwon Prison in 2017/18 — found in 79 per cent of 307 positive tests.

This has increased in the first five months of 2018/19, with Buprenorphine found in 89 per cent of the 114 positive tests.