Black market operation got 7 pounds of BBQ chicken into Mississippi prison, state says

Chicken wings are apparently highly prized by Mississippi’s prison inmates, based on a grocery list of oddities confiscated during a smuggling crackdown.

The Mississippi Department of Corrections says seven pounds of barbecued chicken wings were seized Monday, along with four pounds of marijuana, 20 pounds of tobacco and 38 cell phones. In all, several hundred items were confiscated, officials said in a news release.

State officials referred to the elaborate smuggling operation as “a black-market Christmas” at South Mississippi Correctional Institution. The prison is near Leakesville, about 50 miles southeast of Hattiesburg.

“Unidentified smugglers at 1:30 a.m. threw more than 25 packages across a remote section of the prison’s perimeter fence,” officials said in the release.

“The packages contained a wide assortment of illegal contraband. ... Some of the illegal goods were sewn into footballs which easily cleared SMCI’s double 18-foot-high fences. ... Corrections officers scrambled to the area, confiscated all the contraband and were able to describe the smugglers’ vehicle.”

Details about the vehicle were not released, but a search is underway for it, officials said.

Among the items found: rolling papers; cell phone chargers and Blue Tooth earbuds; a selection of cigars; “over-the-counter” cold medicines; “10 cans of snuff”; cigarette lighters; one scale and a single head scarf, officials said.

“Those inmates found connected with the smuggling attempt will lose eligibility for early release and accumulated earned time,” the release said.

Prison officials say gang leaders use smuggled items “as a way to control other inmates,” which is why the department is adding new security measures to stop the flow of goods.

“Clearly, we’re making a dent because smugglers on the outside are taking extreme risks to help some inmates carry on illegal activities,” Deputy Commissioner of Institutions Jeworski Mallett said in the release.

“We are also developing plans to re-open perimeter guard towers with marksmen armed with high-powered rifles. Everyone knows that trespassing on prison grounds is illegal day and night,” he said.