The Oklahoma Department of Corrections seized millions of dollars in contraband last year as part of ongoing efforts to protect staff, inmates, and the public and to disrupt illegal activity inside state penal institutions.
The seizures result from joint efforts by facility staff and the Office of the Inspector General. Contraband was confiscated from inmates, staff members and individuals attempting to smuggle illegal items into facilities through visits, drones, perimeter drops and other methods.
In 2025, ODOC personnel confiscated:
• Cellphones: 6,715 devices - estimated prison value $9,401,000.
• Methamphetamine: 48 pounds - estimated prison value $2,177,243.
• Marijuana: 261 pounds - estimated prison value $1,657,427.
• THC wax: 50 pounds estimated prison value $317,515.
• Fentanyl: 7 pounds estimated prison value $1,905,090.
• Tobacco: 1,614 pounds - estimated prison value $483,185.
• K2 (synthetic cannabinoids): 27 pounds - estimated prison value $2,755,573. (Depending on paper type, this equals roughly 500 to 2,700 sheets, with 93 dosage units per letter-sized sheet.)
• Improvised weapons: 3,478 items.
Total seized value: $18,697,033. “These seizures represent thousands of opportunities to prevent violence, overdoses and criminal activity inside our facilities,” ODOC Director Justin Farris said. “They also reflect the constant vigilance of our staff and investigators who work every day to identify threats and stop contraband before it causes harm.”
In addition to seizures, ODOC arrested 83 individuals in 2025 for trying to bring contraband into correctional facilities. Of those arrests, 42 involved visitors who intended to smuggle contraband during inmate visits. Additionally, 14 ODOC staff members were arrested for attempting to introduce contraband, demonstrating the agency’s focus on accountability.
Contraband remains one of the most significant threats to safety inside correctional facilities, contributing to violence, drug trafficking and organized criminal activity, Farris said. ODOC continues to strengthen interdiction efforts through intelligenceled investigations, enhanced searches, partnerships with law enforcement, and use of evolving security technology.
ODOC introduced digital mail in September 2024, “which has been successful,” Farris said. In September 2025, all outside paper products were banned across the facilities to help prevent the entry of K2 and other contraband. This rule applied to staff, visitors and volunteers. The agency is exploring options to convert legal mail to a digital format while maintaining required privacy protections, Farris said.