Mini tuckshops, drugs, designer sneakers and cellphones are some of the contraband and illegal activities encountered inside the Odi Correctional Centre in Mabopane, Tshwane, during a raid by correctional services officials on Sunday evening.

According to the national commissioner of correctional services, Makgothi Thobakgale, who led the operation, the raid was specifically targeted based on intelligence reports.

“We identified Odi for a number of reasons. The first is that we received information that offenders were in possession of contraband,” said Thobakgale.

One of the more startling moments came when a phone, already confiscated by officials, rang with a call from someone saved as “My Everything”, who was unaware that the device was no longer in the inmate’s hands.

Reacting to the discovery of the tuckshops operating behind bars, Thobakgale added: “It is not allowed for an offender to be a merchandiser.”

The raid is part of a broader crackdown on smuggling and corruption inside SA's correctional facilities. 

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