Man caught trying to smuggle LSD worth up to $2.5m into prison

Auckland Prison. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

A man has been arrested trying to smuggle up to 50,000 doses of the psychedelic drug lysergic acid (LSD), worth up to $2.5m, into an Auckland prison.

The man turned up at Auckland Regional Women's and Spring Hill Corrections Facilities in November asking to visit an inmate, the Department of Corrections said today.

He was searched by staff who found him in possession of 2.476 grams of almost pure LSD powder, cannabis and utensils for using it, and thousands of dollars in New Zealand and foreign currency.

Police were alerted.

The amount of the drug found could be used to make 50,000 LSD tabs with a street value of between $1 million and $2.5 million, Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Lynch said.

"This is a very significant find, and shows the great work done by Corrections staff in intercepting the drugs.

"Had they (the drugs) made their way into the hands of the unsuspecting it could have been dangerous, given the powder's ability to be absorbed by skin.

"LSD 'tabs', or acid, have a well documented history of being responsible for causing severe and frightening hallucinations, or even contributing to mental illnesses such as schizophrenia."

Prison manager Agnes Robertson said she was proud of her staff and drug dogs which searched the man and found the haul.

"This is a fantastic result - not just for staff that were involved, but for our community in general.

"Drugs and crime have a very strong link, and acid is a scary drug in terms of the effect it can have on those who choose to take it.

"I am very pleased that my staff have been involved in its removal from circulation and that they are assisting police in prosecuting the man."

The man is facing two charges of possession of drugs.

- NZPA