Officers crawled through several metres of cramped ceiling vents at the Maximum Security Prison (MSP) in Arouca on Tuesday evening, recovering a massive stash of contraband hidden deep within the prison’s ventilation system.

The discovery was made during a major intelligence-led operation coordinated by Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro.

Between 5.30 p.m. and 9 p.m., teams of police and prison officers methodically searched the vents, inching through tight crawl spaces in an effort to locate items believed to be concealed there as part of an organised contraband network.