AUSTIN, TX - Michael Manor was serving 32 years in prison for auto theft when he managed to do something a jury thought even worse - sneak a cell phone into prison.

With a criminal record that included robbery and kidnapping, Manor got no sympathy from jurors. Last year, they slapped him with a 40-year sentence for possession of a cell phone after he dropped one from his prison bunk.

"We are trying to remove him from society. He doesn't deserve to have a cell phone," said Phil Hall, who prosecuted the case. "The jury really bought into the argument."

Manor's sister, who once received a call from him from prison, says his long sentence isn't fair. Indeed, the punishment is harsher than any other handed down for the crime, but prosecutors said it shows how seriously the criminal justice system is taking a new type of contraband that can help inmates escape and allow offenders to conduct criminal business from a prison cell.

Last year, investigators seized 135 cell phones; through mid-April, the number for this year was 90. And while other contraband items are more often seized, the phones have become a valuable commodity for prisoners because they can sell minutes to other inmates.

"It's just like American Express - it's good as cash," said John Moriarty, inspector general of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Investigators say prisoners are willing to pay between $350 and $600 to have a single phone smuggled into prison. And they often involve a corrections officer in such schemes.

In a case two years ago, undercover investigators arrested a corrections officer who offered to smuggle a cell phone and heroin into the Darrington Unit in Brazoria County. She wanted $200 to take in the phone, and $50 for the drugs.

"With a cell phone you can arrange other things," said Tim English, an investigator for the inspector general. "That's the beauty of the cell phone - you have access to the outside world."

As investigators focus more on the problem, inmates have become more careful about hiding their tracks. They prefer prepaid phones that don't require a user to provide a name or account number to a wireless provider. And memory cards are kept separate from phones, minimizing the loss in case a phone is seized.

Texas' problems with cell phones are highly concentrated in two prisons - the Darrington Unit and Connally Unit in Karnes County - where prosecutors say gang membership is high. The units also are relatively close to big cities, where prepaid cell phones are easily obtained.