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Wake Jails Searched for Drugs, Weapons

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RALEIGH — A search of Wake County's three jails Monday has turned up a small quantity of drugs and a few potential weapons.

Sheriff John Baker, who is up for re-election in November, ordered the searches. He said he was not seeking political gain from the searches, the first of their kind since Baker has been sheriff. Rather, Baker said, he wants to ensure the safety of staff and inmates.

As of noon, the searches, conducted by local law enforcement agencies and canine units, found a small amount of drugs and some homemade weapons, including a razor blade attached to a stick.

Baker told WRAL's Amanda Lamb that contraband is smuggled into jails by inmates who hide it on their bodies. Other items are smuggled in by visitors and through the mail.

Jailers say overcrowding makes it harder to detect illegal drugs and weapons. The county's three jails are holding about 1,000 inmates even though capacity is 830.

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