Authorities Thwart Smuggling Attempt At Jail

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Maryland prison officials say they used closed-circuit cameras to stop an attempt to smuggle marijuana, tobacco and a cell phone into the troubled Baltimore city jail.

The attempt was made early Sunday morning. Authorities say police saw three people trying to secure packages to a fabricated rope that was dropped from a top-floor window at the Baltimore City Detention Center complex.

Two people were arrested on the street and charged with intent to deliver contraband.

In April, about two dozen people were charged in a vast drug-smuggling operation at the jail. Among those charged were correctional officers who bore the children of inmates.

Jail officials say they can't eliminate contraband completely, but they've cut it in half this year compared to last year. The closed-circuit camera program began in January.

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