What Happens If Contraband Is Found: Real Arrest Cases from Georgia Prisons

At Baldwin State Prison on December 16, a visitor set off the metal detector during check-in, consented to a search, and staff found three bundles wrapped in black tape on her person. She was arrested and transported to Baldwin County Jail (Evidence: 4efced425a39fa5f). At Rogers State Prison on December 15, staff recovered a potato chip bag that had been thrown in front of the facility. Inside: cellphones, charging cords, and SIM cards. The people involved were arrested and taken to Tattnall County Jail (Evidence: 565b9992bb93704e). That same day, a separate contraband drop at a UGA Research area connected to Rogers was recovered. It reportedly contained 1,684.7 grams of tobacco, and the individuals tied to the drop were arrested (Evidence: 565b9992bb93704e). At Calhoun State Prison on December 14, two civilians were apprehended near the facility with four black duffle bags filled with contraband. Both were taken to Calhoun County Jail (Evidence: 4503c6b710461f7a).

At Baldwin State Prison, the search started when a visitor set off the metal detector at the front entry during visitation processing. She consented to a search, and that's when staff found the three bundles wrapped in black tape (Evidence: 4efced425a39fa5f).

The Rogers State Prison chip bag case didn't start at visitor screening. A potato chip bag had been thrown in front of the facility. Security staff located it, searched it, and found phones, cords, and SIM cards inside (Evidence: 565b9992bb93704e).

Also at Rogers State Prison, staff recovered a separate contraband drop at a UGA Research area. The report describes it as a "contraband drop" that was later tied to arrests (Evidence: 565b9992bb93704e).

At Calhoun State Prison, detection happened near the facility perimeter. Two civilians were apprehended near the prison while carrying multiple black duffle bags filled with contraband (Evidence: 4503c6b710461f7a).

Items Recovered

• ✓ Three bundles wrapped in black tape (found on the visitor’s person) (Evidence: 4efced425a39fa5f)

• ✓ 2 cellphones (Evidence: 565b9992bb93704e)
• ✓ 2 charging cords (Evidence: 565b9992bb93704e)
• ✓ 5 SIM cards (Evidence: 565b9992bb93704e)

• ✓ 1,684.7 grams of tobacco (recovered from the UGA Research-area drop) (Evidence: 565b9992bb93704e)

• ✓ Four black duffle bags filled with contraband (Evidence: 4503c6b710461f7a)

At Baldwin State Prison, the visitor was arrested after the search and transported to Baldwin County Jail (Evidence: 4efced425a39fa5f). If contraband is found during entry screening, expect immediate arrest.

In the Rogers State Prison chip bag case, the people involved were arrested and taken to Tattnall County Jail (Evidence: 565b9992bb93704e). The contraband was in a bag thrown outside the facility, but the outcome was still arrest and transport.

For the Rogers State Prison UGA Research-area drop, the recovered tobacco led to arrests of the individuals involved (Evidence: 565b9992bb93704e). Drops can be investigated and traced back to people.

At Calhoun State Prison, two civilians were apprehended near the facility and taken to Calhoun County Jail (Evidence: 4503c6b710461f7a). This happened outside the facility, not during visitation, but the result was still custody in a county jail.

Practical Takeaways

• ✓ Treat entry screening like airport security. A metal detector alert can lead straight into a search and an arrest, as shown in the Baldwin visitation case (Evidence: 4efced425a39fa5f).
• ✓ Do not bring anything that is not clearly authorized. Recoveries in these reports range from taped bundles on a person to phones and SIM cards recovered by staff (Evidence: 4efced425a39fa5f, 565b9992bb93704e).
• ✓ Do not assume “outside the gate” is safe. The Calhoun report describes civilians being apprehended near the facility with duffle bags of contraband (Evidence: 4503c6b710461f7a).

• ✓ Do not agree to throw, carry, or pick up any item near a prison. A chip bag thrown in front of Rogers was found by staff and linked to arrests (Evidence: 565b9992bb93704e).
• ✓ Avoid any “drop” arrangement, including meeting near adjacent areas. A contraband drop at a UGA Research area connected to Rogers was recovered and tied to arrests (Evidence: 565b9992bb93704e).
• ✓ If someone pressures you with “just leave it by the fence,” step away. The Calhoun case describes apprehension near the facility with multiple duffle bags (Evidence: 4503c6b710461f7a).

• ✓ Plan for the possibility of immediate arrest if contraband is found. These reports describe arrests tied to visitation screening and to outside drops (Evidence: 4efced425a39fa5f, 565b9992bb93704e).
• ✓ Understand where a person may be taken. In these examples, transports went to Baldwin County Jail, Tattnall County Jail, and Calhoun County Jail (Evidence: 4efced425a39fa5f, 565b9992bb93704e, 4503c6b710461f7a).
• ✓ Follow facility rules closely and keep your visit simple. The more you try to “help” by bending rules, the more you risk becoming the next report.

1. Figure out where the person was taken. The reports show transport to county jails after arrests, including Baldwin County Jail, Tattnall County Jail, and Calhoun County Jail, depending on the incident (Evidence: 4efced425a39fa5f, 565b9992bb93704e, 4503c6b710461f7a).
2. Call the county jail (not the prison) for booking status. When someone is transported to a county jail after an arrest, that jail is usually the quickest place to confirm custody and basic status (Evidence: 4efced425a39fa5f, 565b9992bb93704e, 4503c6b710461f7a).
3. If it involved a “drop,” write down what you know right away. The Rogers examples describe contraband thrown in front of the facility and recovered at a nearby research area, with the situation tied to arrests (Evidence: 565b9992bb93704e).

If someone has been arrested for contraband, get legal advice quickly. These cases show people arrested and transported to county jails for contraband found during visitation screening, thrown in front of a facility, recovered from a drop area, or carried near a prison perimeter (Evidence: 4efced425a39fa5f, 565b9992bb93704e, 4503c6b710461f7a).