Man Attempts to Toss Football Filled With Drugs and Cellphones Into Michigan Prison

A Detroit man is charged with attempting to throw a football filled with drugs, cellphones and various contraband items into G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson, Michigan. According to ABC News, the ball contained heroin, marijuana, tobacco, three cellphones and chargers.

Fortunately for prison officials, the man didn’t have a powerful arm. His throw fell short and didn’t get the ball over the inner fence. When the man attempted to throw the football over multiple fences into the exercise yard of the inmates, the ball landed between two fences. A Prison guard in the parking lot saw the throw and apprehended the suspect, Christen D. Moore. Russ Marlan, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Corrections notes:

After observing the passenger exit the vehicle and throw the footba”l, our officer ran towards the vehicle and drew his Taser and told the driver to stop, which he did.”

Moore is charged with contraband charges and is currently being held on $50,000 bond.

USA Today reports that many prison officials are worried that it is too easy to throw contraband items over fencing since the department stopped manning gun towers and ended regular perimeter patrols at state prisons. However, the state says that those measures are not needed. Instead, random and irregular monitoring, better lighting and video surveillance are proving to be more effective. Marlan says:

“The idea to staff these randomly came from our wardens — people who have a lot of experience with custody and security inside and out of prisons, and who have worked their way to leadership roles within our system. They studied the continuous manning of these posts and didn’t see the return on the investment.”

In this case, it appears the protocol was enough to stop the football wielding Moore.

Footballs are not the only everyday object used to attempt to smuggle drugs. Border Patrol agents found more than $473,000 worth of marijuana hidden inside plaster figures that were being imported from Mexico. In Kentucky, an ABC novelty baby block was used by Bobby Cox to hide heroin. The block was found inside a baby stroller stuffed with heroin. This woman got creative with her intimate apparel, 21-year-old Bobby Gairns was jailed for five months after she admitted trying to smuggle heroin into Perth Prison by hiding it in her bra. How about this guy using his plus-sized figure to hide his stash? A drug dealer weighing 450 pounds was busted with 23 grams of marijuana stashed in his belly fat.

From footballs filled with drugs to bras filled with heroin, it seems those attempting to transport contraband can get very creative.