Bong made from bone among contraband found at prison in Columbia, SC officials say

Weapons, drugs and cellphones were among the contraband found during a recent search of a prison in Columbia, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

The prohibited items were found last week during a search of a dorm at Broad River Correctional Institution, officials said Monday on Twitter.

In all, 34 shanks and 10 cellphones were recovered by correction officers and members of the Department of Corrections police, according to the tweet.

The search also uncovered two Pop-Tart boxes filled with prescription medication, three bags of homemade wine, three cellphone SIM cards, eight lighters, and a bong made from a chicken bone, officials said.

The prison is on Broad River Road, near the junction with Interstate 20. It is a Level 3 male-only high-security facility “designed primarily to house violent offenders with longer sentences, and inmates who exhibit behavioral problems,” according to the Department of Corrections. It houses 1,306 inmates, according to the Department of Corrections.

The confiscated items were found after separate haul of contraband was recently uncovered at another South Carolina prison.

Thanks to a tip and the help of K-9 officer Vera, “a huge amount of contraband” was discovered last week in a dorm at Lee Correctional Institution, the Department of Corrections said on March 10.

That’s the same prison where seven inmates were killed during a violent incident in 2018. The prison is in Bishopville, about 50 miles east of Columbia.

Led by the Belgian Malinois dog, the search at Lee uncovered 60 homemade weapons, 67 grams of marijuana, five cellphones, a fire stick, a handsaw blade, and 140 gallons of homemade wine, officials said.

Information on charges from the searches was not made available.

Lee Correctional is also a Level 3 men’s-only, high-security institution that houses 1,256 inmates, according to the Department of Corrections.

In addition to the seven inmates who were killed in the 2018 incident at Lee, 17 others were injured during the fights, The State reported. On Dec. 3, 2020, indictments were issued for 29 inmates at Lee Correctional for their roles in that riot.

In 2020, one inmate at Lee Correctional was killed by other prisoners, and several other violent incidents have been reported at the prison over the years.