Skopje, 20 February 2023 (MIA) - After searches carried out in Skopje's Idrizovo prison, in a total of 14 cells and two rooms in the penitentiary, police officers seized a larger sum of money than legally permitted for possession by inmates, as well as other items not permitted on prison grounds including a tablet, 11 cell phones, several pieces of cell phone accessories, several sharp objects, and a powdery substance. 

The Department for the Suppression of Organized and Serious Crime and the Department for Special Police Operations - Rapid Deployment Unit, led by a competent public prosecutor from the Public Prosecutor's Office Skopje, have conducted a coordinated police operation at the Idrizovo prison towards preventing the occurence of crime in penitentiary institutions, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said in a press release. 

"As a result of deepened inter-institutional cooperation, police carried out searches at the Idrizovo prison aimed at seizing any items not permitted for possession by inmates on prison grounds," reads the press release. 

The other contraband items seized during the search, carried out by a search warrant ordered by a pre-trial judge, will be handed over to the prison service for further proceedings.