April 27, 2006 -- The smoking ban imposed in city jails three years ago has made cigarette smuggling so lucrative that a single smoke can command up to $20 from nicotine-starved inmates - leading to concerns about corruption behind bars, officials reported yesterday.
News of the thriving sky-high black market came as the Department of Investigation announced arrests in separate cases of three correction officers, two cooks and a nurse's aide on charges of taking bribes of $50 to $1,000 to sneak tobacco, cocaine and a cellphone onto Rikers Island over the past year.
Two of the suspects - Correction Officer Glenda Glenn and nurse's aide Cleveland Porter - were the first to face criminal charges for cigarette smuggling since the new rules were enacted in March 2003.
"When the ban went into effect in 2003, that created a market and an opportunity for people who were going to want to continue to smoke in the fa- cility and it has created a corruption hazard and a bit of a black market," said Investigation Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn.
She said a single cigarette could fetch $10 to $20.
A bag a loose tobacco that stores sell for $2 might bring $40 to $50 in the illegal Rikers Island market.
While cigarettes are considered contraband for prisoners, they're perfectly legal for correction officers and others who work in the jail system. But perhaps not for long.
"In light of these charges, [Correction] Commissioner [Martin] Horn and Commissioner Hearn are going to examine to what extent they will allow employees to carry personal amounts of tobacco," said Deputy Correction Commissioner Richard White.
That brought an angry response from Peter Meringelo, president of the Correction Captains Association, who warned in 2003 that the smoking ban would cause major headaches.
He said he would vigorously fight any attempt to block correction personnel from smoking.
"If that's their vice in life, they should be allowed to enjoy it," Meringelo said. "They work a very tough job."
Norman Seabrook, president of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association, said he would also fight any attempt to restrict smoking by his members.
"I would have a major problem with that," he said. "Nicotine is proven to be addictive."
Like Meringelo, Seabrook described smoking as a way for correction officers to wind down from their tense jobs.
Glenn and Porter face up to seven years if convicted of a variety of charges, including bribe receiving.
The other four suspects were all accused of smuggling or agreeing to smuggle fake cocaine provided by undercover agents posing as inmates' girlfriends or by cooperating inmates.
They face sentences that could range up to life imprisonment.
In July 2003, DOI arrested seven city employees, including two correction officers, for smuggling drugs into jails. All pleaded guilty and were sentenced to terms ranging from 45 days to six
Posted by: Barbrady
Sounds about right. Inmates in MA say a box of Marlboro red would fetch $100.
Posted by: Irish Wampanoag
I would like to know how the inmates come up with 100 dollars????
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