Two prisons holding members of Ipswich gangs are among 16 ‘challenging’ jails to get tough security measures as part of the government’s crackdown on crime behind bars.
Technology will be installed at jails with high volumes of remand prisoners, posing the greatest risk of smuggling, including HMP Norwich and HMP Chelmsford.
The £28m for X-ray scanners is being funded from the government's £100m package to boost security.
The investment will also fund metal-detection equipment, phone-blocking technology and a new digital forensics facility.
Technology will be introduced in other prisons later this year.
Norwich and Chelmsford prisons hold members of Ipswich's JBlock and Neno drug gangs.
Social media accounts in the names of JBlock members have appeared online since they were jailed for killing teenager Tavis Spencer-Aitkens in 2018.
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