The jail – which is undergoing a massive expansion – had a total of 229 contraband items seized between December and April – including dozens of weapons that made the facility one of the state’s most rewarding for crackdowns on inmates.

The most popular drug seized from NSW prisoners was painkiller buprenorphine, with large amounts of ice, cannabis, prescription medication and tobacco also among the haul. The data, which was obtained by the state opposition under freedom of information, shows Cessnock recorded 96 incidents of drug contraband, which was likely smuggled into the jail during visiting hours.

The second highest category of contraband seized from Cessnock inmates was drug paraphernalia, with 59 items seized in five months.

Syringes, balloons, cones and metal spoons were all items of drug paraphernalia seized from the state’s prisons.

Other items seized from Cessnock jail included electronic contraband (20 items) and alcohol (12 items).

A contraband record kept by Corrective Services NSW shows among the more bizarre items seized by officers included “gaol brew” – prison-brewed alcohol that is made from fruit and other ingredients including tomato sauce and bread.

One map and one digging implement was also seized from one NSW jail, but the data does not say where, only to list them as escape tools.

Mobile phones were singled out as a “significant challenge” for prison officers, with revelations that some prisoners were hiding small mobile phones inside inside their bodies as a means to smuggle them behind bars.

Corrective Services NSW Commissioner Peter Severin said contraband was a challenge for prisons across the world. Mr Severin said a “very small proportion” of visitors had abused visitation rights by using it to smuggle contraband into jails. 

“We take a zero tolerance approach and use a range of methods to track down and confiscate contraband,” he said on Monday.

“Searches for illegal and banned items are conducted by centre staff on a day-to-day basis … each piece of contraband seized by staff means less is circulating among inmates.”