South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson is leading a multi-state effort to get congress to allow states to jam contraband cell phones in prison. This comes after over 40 people were indicted in a drug trafficking conspiracy spearheaded by a Mexican cartel and involving state prison inmates.
Wilson said " “A prison cell is no place for access to a cell phone,” “Inmates across the country, and here in South Carolina, are using contraband cell phones to facilitate drug trafficking, commit extortion, and even organize murders".
In the last 5 years, the State AG's Office has handled four major drug trafficking cases in which inmates were using contraband cell phones to help those drug rings operate.
In 2018, a riot at Lee Correctional in the Midlands left 7 people dead. State officials, that incident was orchestrated by inmates using contraband phones.