Two men tried to break in to the Voorberg prison in Porterville in the Western Cape on Saturday, allegedly to drop off some mandrax, according to Western Cape police.

Captain FC van Wyk said a warder raised the alarm at about 01:00 that two people had cut electrical wires surrounding the Medium B prison, on the side of the premises where the sports field is situated.

A warder had been sitting in a lookout point when he spotted them.

They tried to get into his lookout post and were surprised to find him in there.

“One of the suspects was already halfway inside the lookout post when the warder confronted him,” said Van Wyk.

“The two became involved in a [scuffle] and the warder took the backpack which the suspect had in his hand.”

The jail breakers ran away, leaving the bag behind.

The warder found 350 mandrax tablets rolled up similar to rolls of sucking sweets, a rope, and a side cutter inside the backpack.

The police and the Department of Correctional Services patrolled the prison and surrounding area in search of the two.

They are still at large.

(SOURCE: NEWS24)