Department of Correctional Services Raids Saint Albans Correctional Centre

• Officials from the Department of Correctional Services conducted a surprise raid at the St Albans Correctional Centre in the early hours of 9 April 2026
• The prison is plagued by allegations of gang control and contraband smuggling, and prison warders are also targeted in this operation
• The Department announced the raid of another prison as a decoy, when in fact it was heading to St Albans

With 10 years’ experience, Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of the Current Affairs desk, South Africa, provided insights into the criminal justice system, crime statistics, commissions of inquiry, and high-profile cases in South Africa at Daily Sun.

GQEBERHA, EASTERN CAPE— The Department of Correctional Services cunningly sprung a surprise raid at the St Albans Correctional Centre in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, on 9 April 2026.

According to Newzroom Afrika, the raid occurred in the early hours of the morning. The Department of Correctional Services reportedly announced that it was raiding another correctional facility, Kirkwood Prison. The announcement was a decoy as the Department headed to St Albans, where the raid took place.

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Department raids St Albans prison

Prison wardens were subjected to the raid after allegations of gang control and the smuggling of contraband continued. Officials believe that the prison wardens are part of the problem. Four officials are suspected of being part of the smuggling syndicate as they were allegedly not properly searched. During the raid, officials found a cellphone on an inmate. Officers asked an inmate, who admitted that the phone was his. The officers told him that he would be charged for having the cellphone.

St Albans has faced controversy recently. Daily Maverick reported on 10 September 2026 that the call to organise the hit on Gqeberha prosecutor Tracy Brown was reportedly made from inside the prison. Officials began searching outside the correctional centre and at the entrance. Each employee entering the premises was searched, and the employee quarters were searched.

Officials from Kirkwood Prison also joined the raid, as the Department kept it under wraps. The Department is also on the lookout for contraband, including drugs, TVs, cellphones, sim cards. Concerns of contraband smuggling and human rights violations were raised when the Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services conducted an oversight visit in October 2025. The Committee also heard that prison officials are reportedly involved in the Mandrax tablets, and mobile phones were also seized during a raid in the prison on 4 January 2026. The officials also found medical records of inmates on the premises during the raid.

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3 Briefly News articles about prison raids

• Officials uncovered a spaza shop operating at the Zonderwater Correctional Centre during a raid on 18 December 2025. The spaza shop contained items like soft drinks, sugar, cigarettes, rice, tomato sauce, and mayonnaise.
• The Department of Correctional Services raided the Grootvlei Correctional Centre on 23 December 2025. They found contraband, including dagga, crystal meth, cellphones, and sharp objects.
• Officials found a TV, a frying pan, and other contraband items during a surprise raid at the Pollsmoor Correctional Facility on 4 April 2026. The officials also found internet routers, cash, and other digital accessories.

Source: Briefly News