EXPOSED. Jail officers in Kidapawan City foil an attempt by a woman (left) to sneak in prohibited tobacco items inside the North Cotabato District Jail in Kidapawan City on Monday (July 26, 2021). The female suspect, whose identity was withheld pending investigation, has a son detained at the facility. (Photo courtesy of BJMP-North Cotabato)
KIDAPAWAN CITY – Jail guards of the North Cotabato District Jail (NCDJ) in Barangay Amas here foiled an attempt by a woman to sneak in tobacco products inside the facility on Monday afternoon.
Jail Insp. Joe Anthony Gargarita, NCDJ jail warden, refused to identify the woman and her son, who is an inmate of the jail facility pending an ongoing investigation.
“Our vigilant duty searchers of NCDJ-male dormitory found 18 tubes of tobacco concealed inside of cassava plants brought by a certain female visitor through ‘paabot’ or the handing over of something to inmates from visiting relatives,” Gargarita told reporters here in an interview on Tuesday.
He said for the safety of everyone amid the pandemic, no visitors are allowed inside the premises except at the main gate where a booth was set up for visitors to drop items that they would want to be delivered to the inmates.
“The ‘paabot’ system has been effective in preventing the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019),” Gargarita said.
The female suspect claimed that the cassava crops were from her yard.
She, however, said she was unaware that there were dried tobacco leaves concealed inside them.
Gargarita said the provincial Bureau of Jail Management and Penology is preparing charges against the woman who is from this city.
The BJMP has earlier banned tobacco products like cigarettes and tobaccos as it poses danger to the health of the inmates. Such products are considered contraband under jail policies, rules, and regulations. (PNA)
