Steven Dominguez

Compressed as hard as can be.

Again, no more than four or five ounces, but you got to remember impermissible items on Rikers Island, tobacco being one of them.

I forgot if it was Mayor Giuliani.

Early 2000s, he took away being able to smoke within any city building.

Rikers Island is a city building.

So COs couldn't smoke.

Inmates couldn't smoke.

They used to sell tobacco on commissary prior to this law coming about.

So now that the item can't be bought, there's a need for it.

I'm not going to stop smoking after 40 years.

I'm going to Rikers Island for a few weeks.

I need to get my fix, and I'm going to get it somehow.

A finger of loose tobacco, which is like a plastic glove filled of loose tobacco, can go for $150.

And a pouch of loose tobacco, which you can fill a whole five-finger row of, is only $3.

So...

You know, it makes its money and people get paid.

And when they get paid through these Western unions or whether it's a civilian visitor bringing it in or a mental health clinician bringing it in or a doctor bringing it in and you would ask yourself, a doctor, why would a doctor throw away everything that they've worked for?

Just to bring in contraband.

Look it up.

It happens.