Tegel Prison (archive image) Photo: picture alliance
From BZ/dpa
An employee of Berlin’s Tegel Prison is herself in custody after allegedly smuggling in drugs and cell phones. This was reported by Justice Senator Lena Kreck (left) on Wednesday in the Legal Committee of the House of Representatives.
Arrest warrants were issued against the prison officer on September 24, one day after the alleged crime. She is in a prison far away from Berlin.
According to the senator, disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against the woman and she is not allowed to practice her profession for the time being. In addition, she was banned from the JVA Tegel, which is one of the largest prisons in Germany.
Senator Lena Kreck (41, left) Photo: Ralf Gunther
The prison officer wanted to hand over her private car to the Tegel JVA workshop on September 23, explained Kreck. Since there were suspicions, the vehicle was searched by the detention center’s security team. Drugs, mobile phones and accessories as well as two tattoo machines and corresponding needles were found.
Employees of the seven correctional facilities (JVA) in Berlin are not generally checked – as in other prisons nationwide.
Senator Kreck emphasized before the committee that there was no reason for fundamental distrust of the employees.