A kind gesture by a New Zealand prison officer ended with his resignation, as a prisoner got the officer to inadvertently smuggle cannabis into the facility, Stuff reports.
The officer, 66-year-old Okotai Ruaporo, agreed to bring a birthday meal to the prisoner from their family for the occasion. It included tomato sauce, cheese, sweet and sour pork, and cannabis—the latter without Ruaporo’s knowledge.
The officer was charged for smuggling the food into Rimutaka Prison in Upper Hutt, New Zealand, but not the cannabis. Ruaporo decided to resign after the event, ending his 18-year career, according to a Hutt Valley District Court judge.
The unlikely pair reportedly became close, as Ruaporo worked in the Maori unit and found out the prisoner was from the Cook Islands, just like he was. The prisoner knew the request was against the rules, and the correctional officer agreed with this in mind, picking up the meal from the prisoner’s family after a Sunday church ceremony, Stuff reports. Ruaporo then reportedly took the package to Rimutaka the next morning, March 28, according to his lawyer, who acknowledged his client was a trusting man who was naive.
When he put his bag through the X-ray machine as he entered the prison, the food items and cannabis were discovered. Prison staff contacted the police, and Ruaporo was arrested.
All was revealed in the Hutt Valley District Court on Wednesday.
Ruaporo’s lawyer told the court, “The inmate took advantage of the defendant and manipulated him by talking about his family and parents from the islands,” according to the New Zealand Herald.
“You knew you should not have done this,” Judge Bruce Davidson said. “You told the probation officer you had uneasy feelings that morning. You rationalized it to some extent as [corrections] staff take [their own] food in for their own purposes.”
Davidson also agreed that Ruaporo didn’t have knowledge of the cannabis when he brought in the birthday meal: “You have denied any knowledge of the cannabis—you are not prosecuted for bringing cannabis into the prison.”
Additionally, Davidson pointed to the losses Ruaporo has already suffered, in ending a near-20-year career, alongside the media coverage of the incident, adding that Ruaporo leads a productive life within the community.
“You live a pro-social, laudable life in the community,” Davidson said. “It revolves around family, church and members of your community. I see no need for any punishment apart from conviction.”
The judge ordered Ruaporo to return for sentencing if he was called upon within nine months, essentially meaning that he will not be punished further so long as he doesn’t reoffend in the future.
Corrections Chief Custodial Officer Neil Beales confirmed in a statement that Ruaporo was no longer working for the department.
“Staff and visitors are not permitted to bring in food items for prisoners unless they have written permission from the prison director,” he said. “Our Code of Conduct sets the standard of behavior that we expect of our staff and providing unauthorized items, including food, is an example of conduct that falls below our expectations.The safety and security of our sites is a top priority, and we will not tolerate the introduction of contraband into our prisons, including unauthorized food items.”
Beales said smuggling contraband is an issue they take “extremely seriously,” citing extensive measures—like perimeter security, scanners, camera surveillance, searches, specialist detector dog teams—used to prevent it.
New Zealand legalized medical cannabis in 2018, though recreational cannabis is still illegal in the country. The nation came close to legalizing cannabis in October 2020, but the referendum narrowly lost, with 46% voting in favor and 53% opposed. The country is still building upon its medical program, however, just recently approving the production of domestic medical cannabis products and home cultivation for medical patients.
