Heroin replacement "bupe strips" are being smuggled into NSW prisons, secreted in suits and shoes, with about a dozen incidents in the past six months.
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Corrective Services NSW says prison staff have found the strips containing buprenorphine hidden inside shoulder pads, suit linings and shoes sent to inmates.
Prisoners in NSW wear prison-issued clothing but can be sent clothing such as suits for court appearances or external leave.
Nearly 300 bupe strips were found hidden inside sneakers sent to a prisoner on the the NSW mid-north coast while 150 were found stitched into the shoulder pads of a suit sent to a prisoner at John Morony Correctional Centre in Sydney's north west last month.
Each strip could be worth between $400 and $1000 in a maximum-security prison.
"Every illegal item stopped ensures a safer and more secure correctional environment for both staff and inmates," Corrective Services NSW Commissioner Peter Severin said in a statement on Monday.
Australian Associated Press
