Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Undercover Officer Smuggled Heroin, Vodka, & A Half-Pound Of Pot Into Rikers
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Nov 6, 2014
Modified Nov 6, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Gothamist
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Nov 6, 2014
Modified Nov 6, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
This summer the city's Department of Investigation implicated more than a dozen Correction officers for smuggling drugs and weapons onto Rikers Island. Perhaps they were lured by how easy it was: a DOI investigator posing as a Correction Officer was able to carry 250 bags of heroin, 24 strips of suboxone, a half-pound of marijuana, a 16-ounce water bottle full of vodka, and a razor blade through six different employee checkpoints at the jail.
According to a DOI release, the undercover officer carried the contraband in the pockets of his cargo pants; an employee could have earned $3,600 to smuggle the drugs and alcohol in, which would have had a resale value of $22,000.
The DOI's findings were part of a year-long investigation "into criminal activity and civil disorder at Rikers Island," that involved reviewing "hundreds of hours" of security footage, visiting the jail, and conducting "integrity tests."
These integrity tests also exposed inconsistent security procedures, for example, magnetometers that detect metal contraband on an individual that were set at different levels at different facilities, so the undercover investigator set off an alarm in one facility, but not another; security personnel that allowed the undercover investigator to walk into the facility after triggering the magnetometer, and without emptying his pockets; and the failure to follow current protocols, for example, improperly using a transfrisker wand to examine only the investigator’s belt after the investigator said his belt triggered the magnetometer alarm.
The DOI's findings, which will be released in a report before the end of the year, prompted the DOC to place drug-sniffing dogs at security check points, among other security improvements.
“I have zero tolerance for anyone, including staff, bringing contraband into DOC facilities," Correction Commissioner Joseph Ponte said. "We are working on significant new steps to improve our methods for searching for contraband. These include: the requirement that all items including food and medications be x-rayed; the random deployment of drug-sniffing canines at facility front gates; and the deployment of Special Operations Division officers at front gates."
The report will detail the arrest of six DOC employees and a nurse for their roles in smuggling illicit goods into the jail.
Tagged
correction department
doc
doi
Joseph Ponte
rikers is a sieve
Rikers Island
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Early Addition: Eric Adams did not convince a Wisconsin town to build a data center
Because the vote against it was unanimous, here are your early links: Jacket weather, swishing your Guinness, spooky decorations in North Jersey and more.
By
James Ramsay
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 8:28 a.m. ET
Hit-and-run driver arrested trying to flee to Uzbekistan after deadly crash, NYPD says
Police arrested 22-year-old Sobirjon Abdurazakov for a hit-and-run that killed a 62-year old Lyft driver.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
News
Hit-and-run driver arrested trying to flee to Uzbekistan after deadly crash, NYPD says
Police arrested 22-year-old Sobirjon Abdurazakov for a hit-and-run that killed a 62-year old Lyft driver.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
NY measles outbreak more widespread than official count, health officials say
By
Caroline Lewis
A NYC judge brought his gun into court for an ‘experiment’. Now he’s censured.
By
Samantha Max
The Bronx is getting a new casino and a reimagined Ferry Point Park, too
By
Willow Higgins
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .