Homemade beer, drugs, cellphones, cash found in raid on Durban's Westville prison

A night raid on inmates at Durban’s Westville prison saw officials confiscating 427 illegal items on Wednesday.

Among the contraband was a 25-litre drum of “home beer”, and two two-litre bottles of the same alcohol.

A list of the seized items was shared by a prison official to TimesLIVE.

It showed that three “sharpened objects” were discovered. However, mobile devices and accessories, as well as drugs, made up the bulk of the contraband.

A total of 118 SIM cards were seized, along with 43 phone chargers and 54 cellphones.

According to the list, the following drugs and drug-related items were discovered:

- 98 whoonga capsules;

- 47 Mandrax tablets;

- 43 dagga slopes;

- 3 bank bags of dagga; and

- 15 dagga pipes.

Cash of R332 was also found on the inmates.