A homemade shiv stashed behind a jail cell radiator.
A scalpel tucked inside an air vent.
A handcuff key hidden within the pages of a magazine.
These are just some of the disturbing and dangerous items recovered over the past six months in a major crackdown on jail corruption inside violence-prone Rikers Island.
Details emerged Wednesday of the deadly cache of contraband in inmates’ cells as prosecutors began bringing charges against 26 inmates busted in the investigation that came to a head Monday with a massive sweep at the jail complex.
The city Department of Investigation revealed Monday it had referred for prosecution cases involving 12 correction officers and their supervisors.
Two prison guards were busted Tuesday in possession of 8 ounces of cocaine stuffed inside book bags, prosecutors said.
The crackdown culminated with a mass search of 100 guards on Monday and the scouring of dozens of inmates’ cells over the past few days.
Last Friday, officials discovered two plastic bags hanging by a string outside one cell window containing matches, rolling papers and a “dried, green, leafy substance with a distinctive odor.”
In a complaint filed Wednesday, prosecutors charged inmate Matthew Whittington, 24, with arson, alleging he set paper and linens on fire inside his cell.
Whittington was one of 10 inmates brought to Bronx Criminal Court to face charges. An additional 16 are set to be arraigned by Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson over the new two days.
Many of the inmates are being charged with assaulting jail staff — a phenomenon that’s gotten increasingly worse in the past year.
In an April incident, inmate Moustafa Ghaly, 16, was ordered to sit down during a class, according to a complaint filed Wednesday.
Ghaly refused, stating, “I’m tired of y’all bitches and y’all strict rules.” He then allegedly attacked two female correction officers, grabbing one by the throat and punching another.
In another April incident, in the mess hall of the Eric M. Taylor Center, inmate Abdoulaye Diallo, 27, took two trays of food. When a guard confronted him, he said, “I’m hungry” and allegedly attacked the guard.
Diallo then fought off two more guards before being restrained.
Investigation Commissioner Mark Peters and Correction Commissioner Joseph Ponte ratcheted up oversight after a series of violent inmate-on-inmate and inmate-on-guard incidents over the past few months.
Officials have said a spike in the number of mentally ill inmates and the growing number of violent “crews” at Rikers have made maintaining order increasingly difficult.
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