Immigration and police operatives raided the immigration jail facility in Taguig and seized bladed weapons, mobile phones, laptops, DVD players, and other prohibited items inside the jail.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the raid on the Bureau of Immigration Warden Facility was prompted by reports that high-profile inmates were running their illegal trade behind bars.
The raid, headed by lawyer Jesselito Castro with operatives from the BI Intelligence Division, was conducted in coordination with the Regional Special Operation Unit of the National Capital Region Police Office (RSOU-NCRPO).
Morente said numerous items were confiscated during the raid.
Among those seized were mobile phones and accessories, portable air conditioner units, portable Wi-Fi, sharp and pointed tools, knives, steel tubes, scissors, laptops, DVD players, deck of cards, and lighters.
“Past administrations used to be lenient in allowing the detainees to use gadgets, because the BIWF is a detention facility for those to be deported, and not a jail,” Morente said.
“But seeing dangerous weapons confiscated here prompts us to add stricter security measures,” he added.
Morente warned the detainees that more shakedowns would continue as the bureau investigates how the prohibited items made its way inside the detention center.
The BIWF serves as the detention center for foreign nationals who are undergoing deportation proceedings, and currently houses 236 aliens for deportation.