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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-35161650.amp

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Drugs go missing from prison trolley - BBC News

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Drugs go missing from a prison healthcare centre, sparking an investigation.

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A DRUG dealer on weekend release from prison was detained by passers-by who saw him interfering with cars in the early hours.

Blackburn magistrates heard Nathan James Walker reacted violently when he was challenged and assaulted one of his captors.

Walker, 31, of Milnshaw Lane, Accrington, pleaded guilty to assaulting Trevor Eccles, damaging a pair of spectacles belonging to him, vehicle interference and going equipped for theft from a motor vehicle with a screwdriver and a pair of gloves.

He was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison to be served after the conclusion of his current sentence.

In June 2020, Walker was one of five people handed a combined prison sentence of nearly 20 years for their part in a £250,000 drugs conspiracy which flooded the streets of an East Lancashire town with hard drugs.

The defendants admitted supplying heroin and crack cocaine in Accrington between November 2018 and May 2019 following detection work by an undercover police officer.

Their involvement was part of a larger-scale organised drug operation for which five other people were charged. Walker was jailed for four years.

Alex Mann, prosecuting, said in the new incident Walker was seen by a car after a window had been smashed.

Two witnesses went outside and decided to detain Walker who had caused the damage. They were joined by Mr Eccles who came out of his house to assist.

Mr Eccles was punched to the cheek and his glasses broken causing him two black eyes. He tackled Walker to the ground and pinned him down.

As he tried to detain him in a safe way Walker bit him on the chest and Mr Eccles had to punch him hard to his jaw to make him let go.

Gareth Price, defending, said Walker was on weekend release from Kirkham Open prison in preparation for his eventual release.

"The assault occurred when people were making what is known as a citizen's arrest," said Mr Price.

"What is clear is that when the police arrived my client was injured and had to be taken to hospital."

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Passers-by made citizen's arrest of suspicious drug dealer on weekend-release from prison

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A DRUG dealer on weekend release from prison was detained by passers-by who saw him interfering with cars in the early hours. Blackburn magistrates heard Nathan James Walker reacted violently when he was challenged and assaulted one of his captors.

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Inmate tried to smuggle stash into prison in case of lockdown | The Northern Echo

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Inmate secreted drug packages into open prison on return from day release

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AN inmate returned to open prison after day release with a stash of secreted drugs, a court was told.

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Drug smuggler sentenced to 19 years in prison - BBC News

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HMP Channings Wood, Greenhill Lane, Denbury, Newton Abbot

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HMP Channings Wood, Greenhill Lane, Denbury, Newton Abbot

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HMP Channings Wood, Greenhill Lane, Denbury, Newton Abbot

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https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/prison-drugs-smugglers-foiled-inmate-6715704

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HMP Thameside, Griffin Manor Way, London

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HMP Thameside, Griffin Manor Way, London

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HMP Thameside, Griffin Manor Way, London

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https://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/crime/prison-officer-jailed-for-smuggling-drugs-3089994

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Published: 10:56 AM October 21, 2016

Updated: 10:09 AM October 13, 2020

A prison officer will now be experiencing life on the inside after she was caught trying to take cannabis into the jail where she worked.

Tiana Duncan, of Manor Park's Capel Road, hid more than 220g of the drug inside her clothes on April 17, then went to work at HMP Thameside.

The deception was uncovered during a staff search, and the 26-year-old pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply a class B drug on September 2.

She was sentenced to three years and four months imprisonment at Southwark Crown Court yesterday.

DC Scott Pavitt, from the Met's London Prison Anti-Corruption Team, said: "Drugs have a huge impact on our prisons, affecting the behaviour of prisoners and increasingly the likelihood of violence and disorder.

"As a prison officer, Duncan was in a position of authority and has underminded the hard work of her colleagues by attempting to bring in an illegal drug into the prison."

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Prison officer jailed for smuggling drugs

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Published: 10:56 AM October 21, 2016 Updated: 10:09 AM October 13, 2020 A prison officer will now be experiencing life on the inside after she was caught trying to take cannabis into the jail where she worked.

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HMP Nottingham, Perry Road, Sherwood, Nottingham

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HMP Nottingham, Perry Road, Sherwood, Nottingham

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HMP Nottingham, Perry Road, Sherwood, Nottingham

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Woman who tried to smuggle drugs into HMP Nottingham for her partner is jailed

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Drugs are worth 10 times their street value in prison

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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/10/18/prison-watchdog-member-accused-smuggling-drugs-major-british/

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Prison watchdog member accused of smuggling drugs into major British jail

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Senior member of independent monitoring board at HMP Liverpool is arrested and suspended following a tip-off

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Female prison officer among gang members jailed for smuggling drugs into jail

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Two people from Stockport, Callum Reilly and Claire Anderson, have also appeared before a court.

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https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/prison-drugs-smugglers-foiled-inmate-6715704.amp

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Prison drugs smugglers scuppered during visit

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Christopher Emery and Charmaine Brooks botched the handover in front of guards.

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HMP Thameside, Griffin Manor Way, London

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HMP Thameside, Griffin Manor Way, London

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HMP Thameside, Griffin Manor Way, London

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https://mobile.twitter.com/INQUEST_ORG/status/1481556343882489856

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Nathan Forrester, 36, died at HMP Thameside in July 2019, just one day after arriving in the prison on recall, with the cause relating to drug toxicity.

⚖️The inquest on Monday will explore access to drugs, delayed and emergency responses.
Rep: @BPCivLibs
https://t.co/tBQ1r3svz8

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Drugs and emergency response at HMP Thameside to be questioned at inquest into death of Nathan Forrester

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Nathan Forrester, 36, died at HMP Thameside in July 2019, just one day after arriving in the prison on recall, with the cause relating to drug toxicity.

⚖️The inquest on Monday will explore access to drugs, delayed and emergency responses.
Rep: @BPCivLibs
https://t.co/tBQ1r3svz8

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Nathan Forrester, 36, died at HMP Thameside in July 2019, just one day after arriving in the prison on recall, with the cause relating to drug toxicity.

⚖️The inquest on Monday will explore access to drugs, delayed and emergency responses.
Rep: @BPCivLibs https://t.co/tBQ1r3svz8
— INQUEST (@INQUEST_ORG) January 13, 2022

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Nathan Forrester, 36, died at HMP Thameside in July 2019, just one day after arriving in the prison on recall, with the cause relating to drug toxicity.

⚖️The inquest on Monday will explore access to drugs, delayed and emergency responses.
Rep: @BPCivLibs
https://t.co/tBQ1r3svz8

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Nathan Forrester, 36, died at HMP Thameside in July 2019, just one day after arriving in the prison on recall, with the cause relating to drug toxicity.

⚖️The inquest on Monday will explore access to drugs, delayed and emergency responses.
Rep: @BPCivLibs
https://t.co/tBQ1r3svz8

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Nathan Forrester, 36, died at HMP Thameside in July 2019, just one day after arriving in the prison on recall, with the cause relating to drug toxicity.

⚖️The inquest on Monday will explore access to drugs, delayed and emergency responses.
Rep: @BPCivLibs
https://t.co/tBQ1r3svz8

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(Image: Notts Police)

Two people have been sentenced following a conspiracy to send drug-soaked letters to inmates at a Nottinghamshire prison.

Shane Smith, 35, and Carla Fitzgerald, 27, were involved in conspiring to produce mail contaminated with spice and then sending it into HMP Ranby.

Detective Constable Gemma Patterson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "This has been a complex investigation with different force departments, including CID, the Gedling Operation Reacher team, neighbourhood policing and tactical support group teams, all working closely together to help build the case.

"This successful operation shows how police and prison staff are very much alive to methods used to try and smuggle drugs into prisons and how they can work effectively together to tackle the issue and bring offenders to justice."

READ MORE: Motorcyclist dies after fatal collision in Nottinghamshire

On April 16, last year police received a report from a solicitors firm in Leicestershire that someone had attempted to fraudulently print some paper off in their name using their company logo.

They had only found out about this when the printing company could not get hold of the original buyer for payment and contacted the solicitors firm directly, but they had no knowledge of the purchase.

Enquiries revealed it was Fitzgerald who asked for the letters to be printed.

Staff at HMP Ranby intercepted mail addressed to Smith, a serving prisoner who was Fitzgerald's partner at the time, which tested positive for spice.

Other items of mail, addressed to other prisoners and sent in the same manner, were also recovered.

The investigation led to both being charged, and on Friday (July 23, 2021) both were sentenced.

Smith, of King Street, Coalville, Leicestershire, was handed a four-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to causing someone to bring a prohibited list A article into prison.

Fitzgerald, of Basford Road, Basford, was handed a two-year sentence, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to bringing a prohibited list A article into prison.

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Pair conspired to send spice-soaked letters to prisoners

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Two people have been sentenced following a conspiracy to send drug-soaked letters to inmates at a Nottinghamshire prison. Shane Smith, 35, and Carla Fitzgerald, 27, were involved in conspiring to produce mail contaminated with spice and then sending it into HMP Ranby.

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Spice, shanks and how life was lost in a lawless prison

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Spiralling prison violence had become 'normalised' in Altcourse

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HMP Forest Bank, Agecroft Road, Pendlebury, Manchester

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HMP Forest Bank, Agecroft Road, Pendlebury, Manchester

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HMP Forest Bank, Agecroft Road, Pendlebury, Manchester

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https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/drugs-smuggling-prison-forest-bank-19096688.amp

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(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Drugs are even more valuable in prison than on the streets.

And when drugs get behind the gates, it creates a lucrative market for dealers operating behind bars.

Friends, family and corrupt staff have all been implicated in the supply of contraband over the years - with attempts to hand over illicit substances during visiting time all-too common.

Meanwhile, some offenders have resorted to 'throw-overs' - where drugs are hurled over the prison wall, to get drugs inside.

Once on the wing, drugs can fuel a multitude of problems - like violence, control and debt.

The M.E.N. recently reported on particular problems at HMP Forest Bank in Salford.

Figures revealed drugs were found at the prison 654 times last year, the third highest of any prison in England and Wales.

Meanwhile a string of cases, has revealed the substances most in demand in jail - and the desperate measures criminals will resort to to get them inside.

The pregnant mum jailed after being caught trying to smuggle cannabis into jail

Leonie Gerrard, 19, from Salford, was caught with cannabis, tobacco, a mobile phone and two sim cards, while she went to visit a prisoner.

Despite her being pregnant, the judge said her crimes were so serious that she deserved jail.

She had been visiting an inmate at a Young Offender's Institution at Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, in December 2018.

The pair had 'embraced' during the visit and an 'exchange' was made where the package containing the illicit items was handed over.

The prisoner was stopped, and Gerrard was also held.

Just less than 25 grams of cannabis was recovered, Manchester Crown Court heard earlier this month.

She later claimed to have been pressurised into taking in the package after receiving threats.

Her lawyer said Gerrard was not aware of what was in the package, and 'chose not to ask'.

Jailing her for 15 months, the judge, Recorder Michael Blakey, told her: "You are very young, and obviously, I don't mean any disrespect, you have been very foolish on this occasion. It is sad to see you here before me in a crown court."

The dealer who didn't stop even after being locked up

Being jailed didn't stop their drug dealing operation.

Anton Daniels, from Sale, Trafford, threw drugs over a prison wall so Tania Dewar, who worked for him and had been remanded in custody, could sell to inmates.

Daniels, 36, threw 'several parcels' over a wall at HMP Styal, Cheshire Police said.

He was caught after being stopped by police in Wilmslow in February.

At his home, police found 'assets' worth more than £100,000, including vehicles, cash, designer clothing and a 'high-value' watch.

Mobile phone messages linked Daniels and Dewar to drug dealing in both Macclesfield and Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.

Daniels, of Brooklands Road, was sentenced to 10 years.

He previously admitted to conspiracy to supply class A drugs; money laundering; and conspiring to throw class A drugs into a prison.

Dewar, 31, of Somerset Close, Macclesfield, was jailed for seven years and six months. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs; and conspiring to throw class A drugs into a prison.

She was also convicted of possession with intent to supply class A drugs - heroin and cocaine - in connection with a separate case.

The pair caught acting 'suspiciously' outside prison who were found with about £25,000 of drugs

They were caught with cocaine, cannabis and steroids worth up to £25,000, which was to be thrown over a prison wall.

Kurtis Clancy from Oldham, and Dean Heney, from Manchester, stashed the drugs in drinks bottles.

When they were caught, police found a black bag containing three Lucozade bottles and another container full of drugs with hooks attached to the outside.

A mobile phone and chargers were also to be thrown over the prison walls for inmates to retrieve.

The pair said they were performing the task at HMP Parc in south Wales to pay off debts to a criminal currently serving time for 'serious firearms offences'.

Clancy, 22, and Heney, 28, were spotted acting suspiciously outside the prison in April.

In July, Cardiff Crown Court heard the bottles contained between £6,500 and £19,500 worth of cannabis, between £750 and £3,000 of cocaine, between £2,000 and £2,500 of steroids, tobacco, syringes, and a mobile phone and chargers.

Heney was jailed for four years and 10 months, while Clancy was sentenced to six years.

The pair had previously entered guilty pleas to eight counts each of conspiracy to supply drugs at an earlier hearing.

The mum 'very lucky' not to be jailed, after twice being caught trying to smuggle drugs into prison

Emma Flynn, 33, was twice caught trying to smuggle drugs into prisons.

She was later told she was 'very lucky' not to be sent to prison.

In July 2018, Flynn, from Wigan, hid a package in her underwear which contained cocaine, cannabis, Subutex, seven pieces of paper impregnated with Spice, a mobile phone and USB stick.

She handed it over to a prisoner she'd never met before, during a visit at HMP Forest Bank in Salford.

The drugs could have been worth £1,375 in prison.

She was allowed to leave the prison without being arrested, and was summonsed to court months later.

Then in October, she tried to smuggle more drugs into a prison, this time at HMP Lancaster Farms.

She was found with 18.5g of cannabis, with a potential value of £1,150, as well as 10ml of testosterone, valued at £50.

Delays meant that she was sentenced for the Lancaster Farms offences before the Forest Bank counts.

She received a suspended sentence for the Lancaster Farms offences, but the sentencing judge was not aware of her offending at Forest Bank.

At Manchester Crown Court in September last year, Judge Patrick Field QC said that if a judge would have sentenced both cases at the same time, it would have been 'highly likely' that Flynn would have been jailed.

Her lawyer said Flynn was 'particularly vulnerable' and that she had been exploited.

She was sentenced to 22 months in prison, suspended for two years.

The woman who tried to smuggle in £33,000 of cocaine while visiting her boyfriend

As the couple began to hug, prison staff noticed something was wrong.

Samantha Turner, 36, had gone to visit her boyfriend Stephen Benson in HMP Forest Bank.

Benson put his hands under the coat Turner was wearing as if he was fumbling for something.

He found a black package, which he stuffed down his trousers.

Officers stepped in and found it contained 10.96g of high purity cocaine, which prosecutors said could be worth anything from £16,000 to £33,200 inside prison.

There was also 14.22g of Spice, with a potential value of £1,442 in prison.

It also contained two iPhones, four small Xanco mobile phones, nine sim cards as well as phone chargers.

In July last year, Manchester Crown Court was told Turner said she thought the package contained a phone battery, Rizla papers and some tobacco, but a judge rejected her claim.

Judge Richard Mansell QC said: "It simply wouldn't have been worth the risk to smuggle tobacco and a battery into prison and the size and weight of the package you received was clearly inconsistent with your claim."

Turner's lawyer said she had a 'very difficult life', and that she was emotionally vulnerable at the time of the visit, in December 2017.

She was jailed for 18 months.

The judge added: "The message must go out loud and clear from these courts that anyone who smuggles illicit items into prison, especially controlled drugs and phones, should expect to receive an immediate custodial sentence regardless of personal mitigation."

The mum who used her baby as a 'distraction' during smuggling bid

Lauren Maskery said she caved into the pressure being applied by her ex, drug dealer Keiran Flanagan, to smuggle drugs into Strangeways prison.

She ended up using her baby daughter as a 'distraction' during the smuggling bid.

Maskery, 24, tried to hand over a package containing pieces of paper with Spice laced onto them during a visit.

Manchester Crown Court heard how the pair had been in relationship for three years and had a daughter together.

The court was told Flanagan, 29, had been calling Maskery and sending messages pressurising her into bringing a package into prison.

The package had been dropped off through her letterbox in the days prior to the incident.

Maskery, from Oldham, said she didn't know that the package contained drugs, a claim which a judge said he 'didn't accept'.

When at HMP Manchester, she hid the package in her bra.

After arriving in the visiting area, she pulled it out and passed it to Flanagan, using the child as a 'distraction', prosecutors said.

The package was found to contain 29 sheets of A4 paper, which had the class B drug Spice laced onto them.

Flanagan was caught, and he said he was also being pressurised by others to smuggle the drugs into jail.

Police estimated the drugs could be worth up to £4,350 in prison.

In August last year, Flanagan was jailed for 20 months, to run consecutively to a previous five year sentence imposed for conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin.

But the judge spared Maskery jail, instead handing down an 18 week sentence, suspended for 18 months.
Get breaking news first on the free Manchester Evening News app - download it here for your Apple or Android device. You can also get a round-up of the biggest stories sent direct to your inbox every day with the MEN email newsletter - subscribe here. And you can follow us on Facebook here.

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They tried to smuggle drugs into Manchester's prisons. They all got caught

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Drugs are even more valuable in prison than on the streets. And when drugs get behind the gates, it creates a lucrative market for dealers operating behind bars. Friends, family and corrupt staff have all been implicated in the supply of contraband over the years - with attempts to hand over illicit substances during visiting time all-too common.

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Inside Ford Prison: UK open prison with Tesco booze-runs, drugs and parties DAILY | UK | News | Express.co.uk

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AN inmate from Britain’s cushiest prison where 89 convicts have escaped said it was so easy to break out a prisoner jumped the fence every night to do a Tesco booze run.

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-60262715.amp

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Image source, South Carolina Department of Corrections

Image caption,

Lee County police made their latest seizure of contraband headed to the local prison this past weekend

The Shawshank Redemption it isn't.

Prisoners at the Lee Correctional Institution need not know an Ellis Redding - the prison contraband smuggler of Stephen King's novel - inmates can simply get drugs, candy and weapons delivered to the Bishopville, South Carolina facility by drone.

But now as many as 20 people have been arrested for involvement in the scheme.

The latest came on Sunday, when five were caught attempting to fly drones into the site.

Contraband smuggling by drone has been a growing problem at prisons across the US and elsewhere.

The US Justice department has brought federal charges to drone smugglers, most recently this week.

The problem has especially plagued South Carolina, where intrusions happen every week, according to the state corrections department head.

The night-time deliveries at Lee Corrections Institution have included candy, cash, drugs, phones and weapons.

Investigations into the unlawful postal service have kept police officers in tiny Lee County busy for the past eight months.

Nearly two dozen people have now been arrested and charged on various counts, including contraband, criminal conspiracy and the possession of illegal drugs.

Twelve drones have been seized so far, including two during the latest arrest. Sheriff Daniel Simon said they were among the largest he's ever seen, meaning they could carry heavier packages.

"Our main focus is to stop contraband from entering the institution, and especially prevent someone from getting injured in the process," he said.

Violence over contraband is a real risk. A 2018 riot at the Lee prison left seven inmates dead. In another incident, in 2010, a gang member at the site used a smuggled cell phone to order a hit against the head of the Contraband Unit, who was later shot six times at his home.

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Video caption,
Police have released footage of the gang caught in the act.

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Drugs, weapons 'smuggled to prisoners by drone' - BBC News

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Shawshank Redemption it isn't. Prisoners at the Lee Correctional Institution need not know an Ellis Redding - the prison contraband smuggler of Stephen King's novel - inmates can simply get drugs, candy and weapons delivered to the Bishopville, South Carolina facility by drone.

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(Image: Daily Record)

Prisoner officers working at HMP Shotts run the risk of falling ill from handling psychoactive substances.

Nine inmates were rushed to hospital over the last few days after ingesting a drug thought to be used to make "spice".

Ambulances took six prisoners being held on the same landing to University Hospital Wishaw after they were discovered unresponsive at the weekend. The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) confirmed another three were taken to hospital on Monday.

Justice Secretary Keith Brown yesterday told the Scottish Parliament that a prison rule change will be brought in that will see inmates' mail photocopied before being handed to them in a bid to prevent drugs getting inside.

The SPS faces an ongoing battle to prevent substances getting into prisons as there are so many different types, and chemical formulae constantly evolves, which helps avoid detection tests.

It's feared that mail and other items being sent to the Shotts jail are being soaked in mind-altering chemicals, with prison officers handling items before they are handed over to convicts.

John Cairney, chair of the Scottish National Committee of the Prison Officers' Association (POA) claimed the problem is "getting worse" and that staff are working in an "unsafe environment", with some suffering ill-effects of the illicit substances after unwittingly coming into contact with them.

In an update to members he added: "This is causing an unbelievable disruption within prisons and is at a very dangerous level.

"The stress and anxiety this causes front line prison officers, our membership, is simply not acceptable.

"We will not stand back and allow our members to be subjected to an unsafe environment therefore something must change, and quickly."

Keith Brown had been under fire and accused of "dithering" on the issue. Announcing the photocopying measure to MSPs at Holyrood on Tuesday, he said: "The use of illegal drugs in prisons can't be tolerated.

"The prison service have a comprehensive range of robust security measures in place to prevent the introduction of contraband to entering our prisons.

"This change does require bringing forward a prison rule change."

The drugs crisis at Shotts comes amidst a backdrop of a record number of deaths at the jail this year. Nine prisoners have died since April, the latest just a few weeks ago.

Fatal Accident Inquiries will be held, although so far only two of them have been confirmed as drug-related.

An SPS spokesman said: "These substances are extremely dangerous to anybody that uses them and at times to people who come into contact with them.

"The challenge is that there is a very large range of different substances which are difficult to detect but we have worked very hard with partners to develop new ways of identifying them using intelligence to target and prohibit their introduction into our establishments.

But it remains a real challenge which no one is complacent about and we recognise that moving forward, that challenge is going to be with us for a while.

"We take the safety and wellbeing of everybody living and working within our prisons very seriously and this is a threat to that safety and wellbeing that we're working hard to address."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "The Scottish Prison Service continues to seek innovative technological solutions in order to detect, deter and reduce the availability of contraband entering our prisons to ensure the safety of staff and those within its care."

Gillian Mackay MSP, Scottish Greens health spokesperson, described the situation at Shotts as "extremely concerning" and should be treated as a public health issue.

She added: "It's important to remember that in some cases people come to prison with a history of addiction. These people will need specialist support and treatment. Prisons have a duty of care to those inmates."
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Prison staff at risk of ill-effects from spice smuggled into HMP Shotts

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Prisoner officers working at HMP Shotts run the risk of falling ill from handling psychoactive substances. Nine inmates were rushed to hospital over the last few days after ingesting a drug thought to be used to make "spice". Ambulances took six prisoners being held on the same landing to University Hospital Wishaw after they were discovered unresponsive at the weekend.

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Criminals emptied two £1.40 grab bags of most of their pickled onion and roast beef-flavoured contents then refilled them with pills and mobiles before resealing them

Criminals bit off more than they could chew - when they tried to smuggle drugs and phones into jail inside packs of Monster Munch.

They emptied two £1.40 grab bags of most of their pickled onion and roast beef-flavoured contents then refilled them with pills and mobiles before resealing them.

The crisp bags were then thrown over the wall of HMP Risley in Cheshire.

But guards on a 3am patrol spotted the distinctive packets and found the loot, before calling in police.

Mick Pimblett, of the Prison Officers' Association, said: "Criminals believe crisp bags have a chance of blending in.

"It is not unusual for debris to get blown into a prison's grounds and it might not get a second glance. A prisoner would have been tasked with recovering the contraband at the earliest chance."

The gear, including an iPhone and pills believed to be ecstasy, had a value behind bars of about £5,000.

Other mobiles included the 13 gram Zanco T1, the world's smallest handset. Police are investigating the incident at the Category C prison in Warrington on February 14.

Prisons minister Victoria Atkins said: "Criminals are coming up with new ways to smuggle drugs every day but we are winning the battle thanks to our new £100million security measures and the efforts of our staff."

Other drug-smuggling tactics include drone drops and soaking letters in the liquid form of the zombie drug Spice.

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Criminals try to smuggle pills and phones into jail inside Monster Munch packs

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Criminals emptied two £1.40 grab bags of most of their pickled onion and roast beef-flavoured contents then refilled them with pills and mobiles before resealing them Criminals bit off more than they could chew - when they tried to smuggle drugs and phones into jail inside packs of Monster Munch.

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Reilly, 30, of no fixed abode, but from the Stockport area, pleaded guilty to supplying a class B drug to Claire Anderson, conspiring to convey list B articles into prison and money laundering. He was given a 12-month jail term.

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Prison officer jailed for smuggling drugs into HMP Doncaster

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Reilly, 30, of no fixed abode, but from the Stockport area, pleaded guilty to supplying a class B drug to Claire Anderson, conspiring to convey list B articles into prison and money laundering. He was given a 12-month jail term.

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THE amount of drugs at an open prison has risen by almost 100 per cent because prisoners are "bored" during the Covid pandemic, a report found.

Inmates at HMP Ford are said to be using more illegal substances since the start of the coronavirus crisis, according to a prison watchdog.

The Ministry of Justice told The Argus that it will invest £100 million to bolster security, including new X-ray body scanners and drug dogs.

There were a total of 183 drug finds, which is almost 100 per cent increase on the previous year when there were 94.

Cannabis remains the "most popular" drug amongst inmates, the Independent Monitoring Board said.

There was also a 17 per cent rise in the number of mobile phones found, with 365 devices discovered compared to 312 the previous year.

The discovery of alcohol also went up from eight to 23.

The report read: "No pattern has emerged as to the type of drugs used though cannabis remains the most popular.

"Anecdotally prisoners have told us that the increase in drug use is largely due to boredom under lockdown.

"The discovery of alcohol has risen from 8 finds to 23, almost a threefold increase year on year.

READ MORE >> Living conditions in HMP Ford not 'humane', says watchdog

"There were 183 drugs finds, which is almost 100 per cent increase on the previous year when there were 94 finds."

The Independent Monitoring Board inspects whether jails are "humane" and if inmates are receiving "just treatment".

A visit was carried out to HMP Ford in West Sussex, three miles from the historic town of Arundel.

The resulting report revealed the prison's accommodation was in a "parlous state" and "certainly not decent or humane".

HMP Ford was converted to an open prison in 1960 from a former Fleet Air Arm station.

It has an operational capacity of 544, however, during the pandemic, this has been reduced by between 20 and 30 prisoners to enable new inmates to self-isolate.

The Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "We are spending £100 million to bolster prison security, clamping down on the weapons, drugs and mobile phones that fuel violence and crime behind bars.

"This is funding tough measures including X-ray body scanners, phone-blocking technology and drug dogs."

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Prisoners in a Sussex prison are using more drugs because they are 'bored'

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THE amount of drugs at an open prison has risen by almost 100 per cent because prisoners are "bored" during the Covid pandemic, a report found. Inmates at HMP Ford are said to be using more illegal substances since the start of the coronavirus crisis, according to a prison watchdog.

# data[].attributes.location_name
HMP Thameside, Griffin Manor Way, London

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HMP Thameside, Griffin Manor Way, London

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HMP Thameside, Griffin Manor Way, London

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A MUM has been arrested on suspicion of smuggling drugs to her prisoner lover in their son's nappy.

Jail officers pounced after the dad pulled out a small parcel while holding the eight-month-old tot for a cuddle.

The package is believed to have contained synthetic cannabis Spice.

The pair were separated and held until cops arrived at HMP Thamesmead, South East London.

Sniffer dogs then found two more wraps tucked inside the nappy.

A source told The Sun: "The innocent tot is believed to have been used as a drugs mule."

The mum was released pending further investigation. Her partner is likely to face sanctions.

Craig Thomson, director at the jail run by private firm Serco, said: "Our officers became suspicious so they intervened, stopped the visit and found one package of drugs hidden on the baby.

"Our drug dog then indicated that there were more drugs. We are proud of the vigilance of our officers."

The Met Police confirmed that a 26-year-old woman had been arrested after officers were called to the jail earlier this month.
GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk

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Mum accused of smuggling drugs to her prison lover in their son's nappy

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A MUM has been arrested on suspicion of smuggling drugs to her prisoner lover in their son's nappy. Jail officers pounced after the dad pulled out a small parcel while holding the eight-month-old tot for a cuddle. The package is believed to have contained synthetic cannabis Spice.

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https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/officer-who-fell-in-love-with-killer-jailed-for-smuggling-steroids-into-prison-37695591.html

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A prison officer who fell in love with a convicted killer has been jailed for smuggling steroids and phones into prison in her underwear.

emma Farr was found to have abused her position at HMP Dovegate in Staffordshire after bosses alerted police about her conduct in September 2017, amid rumours she had a romance with the prisoner who is serving a life sentence.

The 37-year-old, who worked in a prisoner rehab role for seven years, indicated she hid the banned items in her underwear during a police interview.

Analysis of her phone showed over 1,500 contacts as well as calls, texts and WhatsApp messages from June to September 2017.

Her number was suspected of being a 'pool phone' used secretively by prisoners, West Midlands Police said.

At Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday, Farr, of Draycott, Derbyshire, was jailed for 32 months after admitting conspiring to supply steroids and phones into prison, the force said.

A third charge of misconduct in a public office was left to lie on file.

The disgraced prison officer had a routine of leaving the HMP Dovegate grounds and arranged regular meetings with Peter Cochrane in nearby pub car-parks where the consignments were handed over.

The 58-year-old, from Cross Lane in Salford, was handed an eight-month jail term for his part in the supply conspiracy.

Another inmate, convicted robber Ricky Walsh, 34, was discovered trying to flush a Samsung handset down his cell toilet during a lockdown search and will be sentenced after orchestrating the supply of drugs and phones.

His partner Louise Brierley, 34, from Manchester, was ordered to carry out 200 hours' unpaid work after admitting taking deposits from associates of prisoners who used the contraband supply chain and putting them in her bank account.

Detective Constable Stephanie Petersen, said: "This latest conviction is the result of a year-long investigation.

"The group involved in the conspiracy included a serving prison officer, a convicted prisoner, the prisoner's partner and an associate used to transport the illicit items.

"This sends a clear message to all those who considering smuggling illegal items into a prison: whatever your role we will investigate offences and the perpetrators risk significant prison sentences."

Georgina Davies, from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: "This was a complex case as the majority of the evidence was derived from phone downloads, cell site and banking evidence.

"By scrutinising this evidence, the CPS was able to demonstrate connections between the offenders which secured the conviction for the conspiracy."

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Officer who fell in love with killer jailed for smuggling steroids into prison

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A prison officer who fell in love with a convicted killer has been jailed for smuggling steroids and phones into prison in her underwear. emma Farr was found to have abused her position at HMP Dovegate in Staffordshire after bosses alerted police about her conduct in September 2017, amid rumours she had a romance with the prisoner who is serving a life sentence.

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HMP Nottingham, Perry Road, Sherwood, Nottingham

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HMP Nottingham, Perry Road, Sherwood, Nottingham

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HMP Nottingham, Perry Road, Sherwood, Nottingham

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Prison officers found drugs on the pages of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that had been smuggled into HMP Nottingham.

It was found in one of the cells and tested positive for a psychoactive substance similar to spice, the BBC reports.

HMP Nottingham is one of 10 prisons that has come under fire for being "dangerous, disrespectful and drug ridden".

Chief inspector for prisons, Peter Clarke, said he feared that "some prisoners could face it no longer and took their own lives" in a damning report released last year.

This followed eight apparently self-inflicted deaths there between February 2016 and January 2018.

Mr Clarke invoked the first ever use of a new 'urgent notification protocol' at HMP Nottingham following the findings of the inspection, which required the Secretary of State for Justice to take personal responsibility for improving the jail.

Prisons minister Rory Stewart vowed to resign if an improvement plan failed but recently told the BBC that Nottingham remained a "challenge."

The BBC also spoke to the new governor who said conditions were improving but the jailed remained "fundamentally unsafe."

The spice-like substance was found on samples from the book found by a new drug-testing machine. It is reported 400 pages were missing, which staff suspected had been torn into strips and smoked.

Minister Rory Stewart has hailed the "significant progress" made at some of the country's toughest jails, six months on from the launch of his '10 prisons project' which includes HMP Nottingham.

On February 15, the prisons minister announced the latest initiative to drive improvement - standards coaching teams who will support new recruits and ensure good practice is delivered consistently across the jails.

The team will provide advice and encouragement to inexperienced officers to build their confidence, particularly in their relationships with prisoners.

Around 60 experienced officers were selected to take up the coaching roles.

It is the latest £10m initiative to reduce violence and raise standards, which has already seen:

- X-ray body scanners installed - allowing staff to search for drugs and other contraband concealed in people's bodies

- Scanners installed which can detect invisible traces of drugs, including psychoactive substances, soaked into clothing and paper

- Specialist staff put in place at all 10 prisons, including additional entry searching staff and dog handlers.

- Refurbished cells and shared areas, and enhanced sanitation, to raise standards of decency.

Mr Stewart said: "In six months these prisons have made significant progress, from tougher security to improved standards of decency, thanks to the tireless work of governors and staff. I am hugely grateful for their efforts.

"I have no doubt the standards coaching teams - who I had the privilege to recently see graduate - will make a significant contribution. Their knowledge and experience will be invaluable in driving further improvement.

"I promised that I would resign if violence did not start to fall within a year.

"There is still much to do, and I do not underestimate the scale of the challenge, but the first six months have given us a solid platform from which we can set a more positive direction for all our prisons."

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Drugs smuggled into HMP Nottingham in a Harry Potter book

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Prison officers found drugs on the pages of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that had been smuggled into HMP Nottingham. It was found in one of the cells and tested positive for a psychoactive substance similar to spice, the BBC reports.

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https://amp.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/25/gangs-using-dead-rats-smuggle-drugs-uk-prisons

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Show caption
Drugs and mobile phones that were found in dead rats. Photograph: Ministry of Justice/PA

'It's not just you who does the jail sentence, it's the whole family' | Clare Horton
Criminal gangs are using dead rats to smuggle contraband material such as drugs and mobile phones into jail, the Prison Service has said.

Staff at HMP Guys Marsh in Dorset discovered three rodents that had been stitched up across their stomachs. Subsequent investigation revealed the animals had been stuffed with phones and chargers, sim cards and drugs.

The animals were found just inside of the perimeter fence of the category C institution, which has been plagued by ill discipline.

The Ministry of Justice said the animals had been thrown over the fence of the prison by criminals who had alerted inmates to pick them up.
Prisons and probation

Ministry of Justice says criminals are stuffing rodents with drugs and mobile phones

Warning: this article includes graphic images some readers may find disturbing

Previously, gangs have used pigeons and tennis balls to attempt to bypass prison security measures.

The prisons minister, Rory Stewart, said: "This find shows the extraordinary lengths to which criminals will go to smuggle drugs into prison, and underlines why our work to improve security is so important. Drugs and mobile phones behind bars put prisoners, prison officers and the public at risk.

"By toughening security and searching, we can ensure prisons are places of rehabilitation that will prevent further reoffending and keep the public safe."

The use of the synthetic drug spice has been identified as one of the key problems in Britain's prisons. Intended to mimic the effects of cannabis, it has been described as the "most severe public health issue we have faced in decades" by Marc Jones, Lincolnshire's police and crime commissioner.

One of the rats before being opened. Photograph: Ministry of Justice/PA

Drugs found stuffed inside the animal. Photograph: Ministry of Justice/PA

In the 12 months to March 2018, there were 13,119 incidents where drugs were found in prisons in England and Wales - a rise of 23% on the previous year. The prevalence of mobile phones has also increased - up by 15% to 10,643 instances in 2017-18.

Guys Marsh has had a troubled recent history. In 2017 there was a rooftop protest involving a drunk prisoner who set fire to the roof after stripping off and torching his clothes. The previous year, photographs emerged on Facebook showing prisoners drinking, using drugs and eating takeaway fish and chips.

Last year the prison's independent monitoring board reported that prisoners had easy access to mobile phones and could "make calls at times to suit themselves".

In 2017, a report from HM Inspectorate of Prisons detailed how inmates were able to walk around the jail in dressing gowns or shorts.

The Guardian reported in 2017 that levels of bullying and violence were so high one of the wings was made into a permanent sanctuary for prisoners fearing for their safety.

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Gangs using dead rats to smuggle drugs into Dorset prison | Prisons and probation | The Guardian

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Ministry of Justice says criminals are stuffing rodents with drugs and mobile phones

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A BID to smuggle mobiles and drugs between two prisons in a laundry van has been thwarted.

Prison officers swooped on the vehicle as it drove into HMP Ranby, in Nottinghamshire.

They used trained sniffer dogs to check the interior.

The dogs found 19 mobiles and a large quantity of cannabis hidden inside.

The contraband was worth £5,000 behind bars.

A source said: "There is a major inquiry.

"The really worrying aspect is that the smuggling was between two prisons.

We need dedicated search teams to ensure contraband is kept out of prison

"This was a sophisticated operation."

The vehicle was loaded at Cat D Sudbury prison in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. It is nearly 60 miles from Ranby prison.

HMP Ranby runs an industrial laundry service as part of its work regime. The van was dropping off dirty laundry from Sudbury.

Glyn Travis of the Prison Officers Association said: "Officers did a great job.

"We need dedicated search teams to ensure contraband is kept out of prisons.

"That means we need more prison officers now."

The contraband also included charges and a number of USB chargers. The incident took place on the 24th April.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: ""Thanks to diligent staff and our sniffer dogs at HMP Ranby around £5,000 worth of mobile phones and drugs were stopped from getting into the jail."

HMP Ranby has room for more than 1,000 inmates.

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Bid to smuggle mobiles and drugs into two prisons gets thwarted

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A BID to smuggle mobiles and drugs between two prisons in a laundry van has been thwarted. Prison officers swooped on the vehicle as it drove into HMP Ranby, in Nottinghamshire. They used trained sniffer dogs to check the interior. The dogs found 19 mobiles and a large quantity of cannabis hidden inside.

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A prison guard been put behind bars after accepting money from drug dealers to sneak drugs into jail.

Jack Nichols had nearly 200g of cannabis resin in the glovebox of his car when he arrived for work at HMP Stocken in August 2019.

He was caught out by a sniffer dog and a search of his vehicle revealed two blocks of the class B drug wrapped in clingfilm, ready to be smuggled in his trousers.

A further 100g of cannabis resin was found hidden in a cell at the prison in Rutland, East Midlands, which had been sneaked in previously.

Investigations revealed Nichols, 29, had been paid £4,000 by inmate Joe Baggaley to smuggle the contraband past his colleagues at the prison gates.

He had started sneaking in tobacco to make money to pay off debts but then it escalated to smuggling in illegal drugs, which sell for about 10 times as much in jail compared to on the street.

Baggaley's friend on the outside, James Hanks, was involved in collecting the drug from dealer Ivan Freeman-Lunt in Liverpool to give to Nichols.

Another man, Mitchell Dytiche, was convicted with them all after he was found to be involved in the bank transfers.

All five men, who had previously pleaded guilty to their involvement, were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court yesterday.

Nichols, from Grantham, Lincolnshire, was jailed for one year and four months for conspiracy to supply class B drugs, possession with intent to supply class B drugs, and conveying a prohibited item into prison

Baggaley, 23, got a further three years imprisonment - to run after his current term ends - for conspiracy to supply a class B drug

Freeman-Lunt, 42, from Liverpool, got two years and one month imprisonment for conspiracy to supply a class B drug.

Dytiche, 24, of, Smallthorne, Staffordshire, got a 20 month sentence, suspended for two years, for conspiracy to supply a class B drug.

Hanks, 25, from Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, got 18 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, plus a 20-day rehabilitation order, for conspiracy to supply a class B drug

Detective Inspector Dan Evans said: 'On the street, this haul was worth just over £3,055, but behind bars drugs are much more valuable.

'We estimated these men could have made in excess of £30,000 from the blocks we seized.

'And not just that, the rivalry that can come from the vying for such illicit commodities by inmates can have serious repercussions for the stability of the prison environment.'

Prison governor Neil Thomas OBE said: 'HMP Stocken will not tolerate corruption in any form and works in partnership with the police to bring to account all those who attempt to supply contraband into our prisons.

'The sentence imposed by the court today will be welcomed by our hardworking and courageous staff, whose safety is undermined by the dishonest actions of a small number of corrupt individuals.'

There will be further court hearings to seize any criminal gains made though the operation under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.

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Prison officer paid £4,000 by inmate to smuggle cannabis in his trousers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A prison guard been put behind bars after accepting money from drug dealers to sneak drugs into jail. Jack Nichols had nearly 200g of cannabis resin in the glovebox of his car when he arrived for work at HMP Stocken in August 2019.

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An X-ray body scanner being piloted at HMP Belmarsh in south-east London resulted in the discovery of weapons, mobile phones and drugs on prisoners and contributed toward a reduction in drugs-fuelled violence, prisons inspectors found.

Peter Clarke, Chief Inspector of Prisons, said an inspection of Belmarsh, one of the UK's most high-profile prisons, in January and February 2018, noted that incidents of violence had increased since the previous inspection in 2015, and some were serious.

"However, in some important respects, the increase was not as significant as in many other local prisons. The overall level of security at the prison had helped, and the use of illegal drugs was less of a problem than we might have expected."

Technology, Mr Clarke added, "was being used to support efforts to manage violence and drug use at the prison, for example through the body scanner being piloted in reception. Early results were encouraging, and I was told that staff welcomed the initiative, as did many prisoners who wanted to see the disruptive and dangerous trade in contraband disrupted."

The report noted: "Staff were trialling a new body scanner in reception, which used low-level X-rays to identify prisoners concealing unauthorised articles. It had resulted in some finds of mobile phones, weapons and drugs, which would not have been identified during a strip-search. The initiative was encouraging and promoted respect and decency - the dedicated search team had decided to use the body scanner instead of requiring prisoners to squat routinely during strip-searches."

HMP Belmarsh is one of only three high-security local prisons in England and Wales and holds an "extremely complex mix of men", including young adults and low-risk men, over 100 with an indeterminate sentence, and those in custody for the most serious offences. The high security unit (HSU), "in effect a prison within a prison", holds some of the highest-risk prisoners in the country. There are also a large number of foreign national prisoners and some with a high media or public profile.

Inspectors, in 2018, found the prison faced several new challenges compared with 2015, some of which were outside the governor's direct control. For instance, "there was a significant shortage of frontline staff." This was being addressed, Mr Clarke said, "but (it) had resulted in a severely depleted daily regime and regular redeployment of specialist staff to ensure that even a basic period of daily unlocking time could be given." This was detrimental to the area of purposeful activity, one of the Inspectorate's key 'healthy prison' tests covering training and education. Time out of cells for prisoners had "declined significantly" since 2015. The funding for education and training was also found to be insufficient and meant the prison could not meet all prisoners' needs.

Inspectors found "some good work" to identify men who were vulnerable, including those at risk of self-harm. Some men at Belmarsh had "a combination of mental health issues, personality disorders and very challenging behaviour" and "it was encouraging to be told that the high security and long-term directorate (of HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS)) was reviewing how these men were being managed and considering what improvements could be made."

Inspectors, however, were concerned by some of the accommodation, with cases of "claustrophobic and extremely uncomfortable" cells designed for two but holding three men. Mr Clarke said: "We thought that this practice should stop, and that the prison's operational capacity should be reduced to achieve this."

Overall, Mr Clarke said:

"In most respects, the prison continued to do a reasonable job managing an extremely complex population. However, some factors outside the control of the local management team were having a negative impact and we would urge HMPPS to give the prison the support it needs to deliver more consistently positive outcomes for its prisoners. At the last inspection, we warned that while we had seen a number of improvements, many had not been embedded. At this inspection, progress had stalled in some of these areas... The influx of new staff offers real opportunities to address these deficits, but in such a complex prison they will need to be supported and mentored to ensure they become the high-quality colleagues that the current leadership clearly want them to be."

- End -

Notes to editors

1. A copy of the full report, published on 12 June 2018, can be found here.

2. HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate, inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and treatment, and promote positive outcomes for those detained and the public.

3. Belmarsh is a category A prison situated in Thamesmead South East London. It opened in 1991, and was the first adult prison to be built in London since 1874.

4. This unannounced inspection took place between 29 January and 9 February 2018.

5. For more on how HMI Prisons inspects prisons and places of detention, please read - https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/about-our-inspections/

6. Please contact John Steele at HM Inspectorate of Prisons on 020 3334 0357 or 07880 787452, or at john.steele@justice.gov.uk, if you would like more information.

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HMP Belmarsh - encouraging trial of body scanner to prevent smuggling of drugs and contraband

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An X-ray body scanner being piloted at HMP Belmarsh in south-east London resulted in the discovery of weapons, mobile phones and drugs on prisoners and contributed toward a reduction in drugs-fuelled violence, prisons inspectors found.

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https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/1273991-new-data-reveals-scale-of-drug-and-alcohol-finds-in-welsh-prisons

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New data reveals scale of drug and alcohol finds in Welsh prisons

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Cardiff University's Wales Governance Centre has presented new findings on drugs, alcohol and homelessness to the House of Commons' Welsh Affairs Committee. The Committee held an evidence session at the National Assembly in Cardiff as part of its inquiry into prison provision in Wales.

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Officers from South Yorkshire Police's Off Road Team have been targeting HMP Doncaster in Marshgate in recent weeks.

A spokesman said: "We have been carrying out perimeter patrols around the prisons in Doncaster to deter throw in's, where by drugs are being catapulted over the walls.

"If you see anyone acting suspiciously around a prison then please ring in."

Doncaster Prison.

Officers also gave details of other recent activities carried out in the region.

"Silverwood, Thrybergh is being targeted at night for the deer that reside there. If you see folk on there at night up to no good then ring it in. The nature reserve is being wrecked.

"The viaduct near Sprotbrough also saw lots of bike riders and walkers spoken to. This is an isolated spot that rarely gets patrolled so we pay it attention should there be anyone in crisis," the statement added.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Police step up patrols outside Doncaster prisons after drugs catapulted over walls

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Officers from South Yorkshire Police's Off Road Team have been targeting HMP Doncaster in Marshgate in recent weeks. A spokesman said: "We have been carrying out perimeter patrols around the prisons in Doncaster to deter throw in's, where by drugs are being catapulted over the walls.

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-60198893

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Reilly, 30, of no fixed abode, but from the Stockport area, pleaded guilty to supplying a class B drug to Claire Anderson, conspiring to convey list B articles into prison and money laundering. He was given a 12-month jail term.

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Prison officer jailed for smuggling drugs into HMP Doncaster

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Reilly, 30, of no fixed abode, but from the Stockport area, pleaded guilty to supplying a class B drug to Claire Anderson, conspiring to convey list B articles into prison and money laundering. He was given a 12-month jail term.

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Drones make drug deliveries to Wandsworth Prison weekly, says watchdog

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Drones are being used to make drug deliveries to inmates at Wandsworth Prison at a rate of at least once a week, a watchdog has revealed as it warned warns illicit substances are easily available and fuelling violence inside the jail.

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A review of HMP Liverpool has found that large quantities of contraband are being flown into the prison by drones.

The review, published on November 18 by the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB), found that criminals were exploiting the prison's weakness to conduct "drone drops".

The category B male Victorian era prison in Walton was built in 1855.
READ MORE: Carer stabs man 12 times in homophobic rage after they have sex
The review praised the prison's facilities and being a "safe environment for prisoners" but also expressed concerns to its weakness from being infiltrated by drones.

The report, which assessed the running of HMP Liverpool last year during the height of the pandemic, states the prison "faces many challenges with the infrastructure of the original building."

Despite work to recondition the prison and improve security, the report claims the work done has been insufficient in preventing large amounts of drugs and other prohibited items being passed to prisoners by drones.

The report states: "The refurbishment programme of cell windows has been insufficient to prevent large ingress of contraband by drones in some areas of the prison (particularly I wing)".

In a summary of 'substance abuse' at the prison, the report claims despite the restrictions of prison visits due to Covid, drugs were still "easily accessible" to inmates.

The report states: "Based on the finds reported in the daily Orderly Officers' report it was clear that many prisoners still found drugs to be easily accessible.

"There were regular reports involving prisoners suspected of being under the influence of new psychoactive substance.

"There were frequent incidents of 'drone drops' of contraband to specific areas of the prison where ingress was made easier due to the poor state of cell windows".

The Liverpool Echo has published a number of stories over the past few years regarding 'drone drops' in Liverpool prisons.

Drones being flown over prison walls have been used to deliver drugs like skunk and synthetic cannabis, amphetamines, crack cocaine and heroin − along with steroids, mobile phones, SIM cards and memory sticks.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: "While we are pleased to see that HMP Liverpool is getting safer and violence is falling, we recognise the need to continue working with the police to stop contraband entering the prison.

"Our £100m investment to bolster security includes physical and intelligence measures to deter drone activity."

The Ministry of Justice said the £100 million spending across the estate is aimed at clamping down on weapons, drugs and mobile phones that "fuel violence and crime behind bars".
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
Adding, the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Bill passed in parliament this year will give prisons new powers to authorise the use of counter-drone technology.

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'Drone drops' at HMP Liverpool blamed for prison's drug problem

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A review of HMP Liverpool has found that large quantities of contraband are being flown into the prison by drones. The review, published on November 18 by the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB), found that criminals were exploiting the prison's weakness to conduct "drone drops".

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Prison officer jailed for smuggling drugs into HMP Doncaster - BBC News

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Reilly, 30, of no fixed abode, but from the Stockport area, pleaded guilty to supplying a class B drug to Claire Anderson, conspiring to convey list B articles into prison and money laundering. He was given a 12-month jail term.

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Prison officer jailed for smuggling drugs into HMP Doncaster

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Reilly, 30, of no fixed abode, but from the Stockport area, pleaded guilty to supplying a class B drug to Claire Anderson, conspiring to convey list B articles into prison and money laundering. He was given a 12-month jail term.

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Lancaster Farms, Stone Row Head, Lancaster

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Lancaster Farms, Stone Row Head, Lancaster

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Lancaster Farms, Stone Row Head, Lancaster

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https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/prison-officer-jailed-smuggling-drugs-24609552

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Prison officer jailed for smuggling drugs to lags says guards need more help

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EXCLUSIVE: Lee Davies was jailed for 12 years after smuggling cocaine and mobiles into Lancaster Farms young offenders institution back in 2010 but has now turned his life around

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Published: 6:54 AM May 26, 2021

A 68-year-old man was caught smuggling drugs into Norwich prison from the jail's café in chocolate bars, a court has heard.

Terry Levy had been serving a sentence at HMP Norwich following a conviction for a drugs offence.

Norwich Crown Court heard that while working at Café Britannia at the Knox Road site Levy was moving chocolate bars on a trolley into the prison.

Danielle O'Donovan, prosecuting, said two wrapped Mars bars and two wrapped Snickers bars on the trolley were found to contain "illicit substances", namely cannabis and cocaine.

She said: "It was secreted within the wrappers of the chocolate bars."

Levy was taken for internal adjudication before the case was referred to the police.

Levy, of Booty Road, Norwich, appeared at court on Tuesday (May 25) having admitted conveying a prohibited article into prison on April 18 2019.

Levy, who was previous drugs convictions, including production of a drug of class B, had provided a basis of plea.

He had said "the only reason I committed this offence was I was in fear for myself, my son and my grandchildren" adding he believed "we were all in serious danger".

Lynne Shirley, mitigating, said he had put the chocolates in such a position that he knew they would be searched and found.

She said he had been candid and made full admissions.

Judge Maureen Bacon said that those who take drugs into prison were normally sentenced to custody.

But she accepted Levy had been put under some pressure to act in the way he did and made full admissions to his offending.

Judge Bacon said she was taking an "exceptional course" by imposing a two year prison sentence, suspended for 20 months.

She told him "at 68 your wild days are well behind you" but warned that "prison awaits should you fall back into your old ways".

As previously reported Cafe Britannia, which opened in 2013, closed in August 2019 with huge debts.

Declan Moore, governor of HMP Norwich, said he was "as disappointed as anyone" that the café was having to close but said the building needed significant investment.

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Man smuggled drugs into Norwich jail inside Mars and Snickers bars

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Published: 6:54 AM May 26, 2021 A 68-year-old man was caught smuggling drugs into Norwich prison from the jail's café in chocolate bars, a court has heard. Terry Levy had been serving a sentence at HMP Norwich following a conviction for a drugs offence.

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1st March, prison officer was arrested for smuggling drugs into prison

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A spokesman said: "We have been carrying out perimeter patrols around the prisons in Doncaster to deter throw in's, where by drugs are being catapulted over the walls.

"If you see anyone acting suspiciously around a prison then please ring in."

Doncaster Prison

Officers also gave details of other recent activities carried out in the region.

"Silverwood, Thrybergh is being targeted at night for the deer that reside there. If you see folk on there at night up to no good then ring it in. The nature reserve is being wrecked.

"The viaduct near Sprotbrough also saw lots of bike riders and walkers spoken to. This is an isolated spot that rarely gets patrolled so we pay it attention should there be anyone in crisis," the statement added.

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Police step up patrols outside Yorkshire prisons after drugs catapulted over walls

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A spokesman said: "We have been carrying out perimeter patrols around the prisons in Doncaster to deter throw in's, where by drugs are being catapulted over the walls. "If you see anyone acting suspiciously around a prison then please ring in." Doncaster Prison Officers also gave details of other recent activities carried out in the region.

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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/10/18/prison-watchdog-member-accused-smuggling-drugs-major-british/

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Prison watchdog member accused of smuggling drugs into major British jail

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Senior member of independent monitoring board at HMP Liverpool is arrested and suspended following a tip-off

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https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/murderer-manipulated-groomed-single-mum-6588446

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-45980560

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Seven members of a gang which used drones to fly more than £500,000 worth of drugs into prisons have been jailed.

The gang was responsible for 55 drone deliveries into prisons around the country between April 2016 and June 2017.

Police described the drone conspiracy as the "biggest ever seen" in the UK.

The men were sentenced for between three and 10 years and five other gang members were given suspended sentences at Birmingham Crown Court earlier.

Increase in self-harm

The gang flew an estimated £550,000 worth of drugs - mainly cannabis and synthetic cannabis - along with amphetamines, crack cocaine and heroin to inmates' windows, West Midlands Police said.

Prisons in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Worcestershire, Warrington, Lancashire and Liverpool were targeted.

Passing sentence on the 13 defendants convicted of conspiracy charges, Judge Simon Drew QC said: "This was a sophisticated commercial operation and due to the high value placed on drugs and mobile phones in prisons, designed to make those of you who ran the operation hundreds of thousands of pounds in profit."

Drug and mobile phone use in prisons had caused heightened levels of violence, an increase in self-harm and deaths, as well as allowing witness intimidation and illegal financial transactions, Judge Drew added.

Det Insp Gareth Williams from the Prison Investigation Team said: "This is a landmark case: It's the biggest drone drug smuggling racket into prisons ever seen in the UK."

Describing how the gang worked he said a drone flier, assisted by one or two others, would speak to an inmate on a contraband phone to guide a drone into prison where the attached parcel would be hooked off using sticks.

The gang sentenced

Ringleader Lee Anslow, 31, who was serving a sentence at HMP Hewell, was jailed for 10 years

Paul Payne, 33, of Broad Street, Coseley, West Midlands, was jailed for three years and eight months

Justin Millington, 24, of no fixed address, was jailed for three years and four months

Drone pilot Brandon Smith, 24, of Kingsbury Road, Tipton, was jailed for seven years

Shane Hadlington, 29, of Sycamore Lodge, Oldbury, was sentenced to four years and three months

HMP Risley inmate Paul Ferguson, 38, was jailed for four years and nine months

Stefan Rattray, 28, also a serving prisoner, was jailed for four-and-a-half years

Stella Deakin, 41, of Boundary Hill, Dudley, received a suspended six-month prison term

Callum McDonough, 25, of Shenley Fields Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham, received a suspended six-month prison term

Jake Blewitt, 21, of Highfield Road, Tipton, received a suspended six-month prison term

Dwayne Tinker, 21, of Lindridge Drive, Minworth, West Midlands, received a suspended six-month prison term

Richard Harrabin, 28, of Perton Grove, Weoley Castle, Birmingham, was given a one year and six months suspended sentence

Ryan Greaves, 21, of Kimberley Walk, Minworth, was given a 12-month community order

Two other men are due to be sentenced next month.

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Gang who flew drones carrying drugs into prisons jailed

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Seven members of a gang which used drones to fly more than £500,000 worth of drugs into prisons have been jailed. The gang was responsible for 55 drone deliveries into prisons around the country between April 2016 and June 2017. Police described the drone conspiracy as the "biggest ever seen" in the UK.

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https://amp.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/25/gangs-using-dead-rats-smuggle-drugs-uk-prisons

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Show caption
Drugs and mobile phones that were found in dead rats. Photograph: Ministry of Justice/PA

'It's not just you who does the jail sentence, it's the whole family' | Clare Horton
Criminal gangs are using dead rats to smuggle contraband material such as drugs and mobile phones into jail, the Prison Service has said.

Staff at HMP Guys Marsh in Dorset discovered three rodents that had been stitched up across their stomachs. Subsequent investigation revealed the animals had been stuffed with phones and chargers, sim cards and drugs.

The animals were found just inside of the perimeter fence of the category C institution, which has been plagued by ill discipline.

The Ministry of Justice said the animals had been thrown over the fence of the prison by criminals who had alerted inmates to pick them up.
Prisons and probation

Ministry of Justice says criminals are stuffing rodents with drugs and mobile phones

Warning: this article includes graphic images some readers may find disturbing

Previously, gangs have used pigeons and tennis balls to attempt to bypass prison security measures.

The prisons minister, Rory Stewart, said: "This find shows the extraordinary lengths to which criminals will go to smuggle drugs into prison, and underlines why our work to improve security is so important. Drugs and mobile phones behind bars put prisoners, prison officers and the public at risk.

"By toughening security and searching, we can ensure prisons are places of rehabilitation that will prevent further reoffending and keep the public safe."

The use of the synthetic drug spice has been identified as one of the key problems in Britain's prisons. Intended to mimic the effects of cannabis, it has been described as the "most severe public health issue we have faced in decades" by Marc Jones, Lincolnshire's police and crime commissioner.

One of the rats before being opened. Photograph: Ministry of Justice/PA

Drugs found stuffed inside the animal. Photograph: Ministry of Justice/PA

In the 12 months to March 2018, there were 13,119 incidents where drugs were found in prisons in England and Wales - a rise of 23% on the previous year. The prevalence of mobile phones has also increased - up by 15% to 10,643 instances in 2017-18.

Guys Marsh has had a troubled recent history. In 2017 there was a rooftop protest involving a drunk prisoner who set fire to the roof after stripping off and torching his clothes. The previous year, photographs emerged on Facebook showing prisoners drinking, using drugs and eating takeaway fish and chips.

Last year the prison's independent monitoring board reported that prisoners had easy access to mobile phones and could "make calls at times to suit themselves".

In 2017, a report from HM Inspectorate of Prisons detailed how inmates were able to walk around the jail in dressing gowns or shorts.

The Guardian reported in 2017 that levels of bullying and violence were so high one of the wings was made into a permanent sanctuary for prisoners fearing for their safety.

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Gangs using dead rats to smuggle drugs into Dorset prison | Prisons and probation | The Guardian

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Ministry of Justice says criminals are stuffing rodents with drugs and mobile phones

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https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/drugs-smuggling-prison-forest-bank-19096688.amp

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(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Drugs are even more valuable in prison than on the streets.

And when drugs get behind the gates, it creates a lucrative market for dealers operating behind bars.

Friends, family and corrupt staff have all been implicated in the supply of contraband over the years - with attempts to hand over illicit substances during visiting time all-too common.

Meanwhile, some offenders have resorted to 'throw-overs' - where drugs are hurled over the prison wall, to get drugs inside.

Once on the wing, drugs can fuel a multitude of problems - like violence, control and debt.

The M.E.N. recently reported on particular problems at HMP Forest Bank in Salford.

Figures revealed drugs were found at the prison 654 times last year, the third highest of any prison in England and Wales.

Meanwhile a string of cases, has revealed the substances most in demand in jail - and the desperate measures criminals will resort to to get them inside.

The pregnant mum jailed after being caught trying to smuggle cannabis into jail

Leonie Gerrard, 19, from Salford, was caught with cannabis, tobacco, a mobile phone and two sim cards, while she went to visit a prisoner.

Despite her being pregnant, the judge said her crimes were so serious that she deserved jail.

She had been visiting an inmate at a Young Offender's Institution at Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, in December 2018.

The pair had 'embraced' during the visit and an 'exchange' was made where the package containing the illicit items was handed over.

The prisoner was stopped, and Gerrard was also held.

Just less than 25 grams of cannabis was recovered, Manchester Crown Court heard earlier this month.

She later claimed to have been pressurised into taking in the package after receiving threats.

Her lawyer said Gerrard was not aware of what was in the package, and 'chose not to ask'.

Jailing her for 15 months, the judge, Recorder Michael Blakey, told her: "You are very young, and obviously, I don't mean any disrespect, you have been very foolish on this occasion. It is sad to see you here before me in a crown court."

The dealer who didn't stop even after being locked up

Being jailed didn't stop their drug dealing operation.

Anton Daniels, from Sale, Trafford, threw drugs over a prison wall so Tania Dewar, who worked for him and had been remanded in custody, could sell to inmates.

Daniels, 36, threw 'several parcels' over a wall at HMP Styal, Cheshire Police said.

He was caught after being stopped by police in Wilmslow in February.

At his home, police found 'assets' worth more than £100,000, including vehicles, cash, designer clothing and a 'high-value' watch.

Mobile phone messages linked Daniels and Dewar to drug dealing in both Macclesfield and Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.

Daniels, of Brooklands Road, was sentenced to 10 years.

He previously admitted to conspiracy to supply class A drugs; money laundering; and conspiring to throw class A drugs into a prison.

Dewar, 31, of Somerset Close, Macclesfield, was jailed for seven years and six months. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs; and conspiring to throw class A drugs into a prison.

She was also convicted of possession with intent to supply class A drugs - heroin and cocaine - in connection with a separate case.

The pair caught acting 'suspiciously' outside prison who were found with about £25,000 of drugs

They were caught with cocaine, cannabis and steroids worth up to £25,000, which was to be thrown over a prison wall.

Kurtis Clancy from Oldham, and Dean Heney, from Manchester, stashed the drugs in drinks bottles.

When they were caught, police found a black bag containing three Lucozade bottles and another container full of drugs with hooks attached to the outside.

A mobile phone and chargers were also to be thrown over the prison walls for inmates to retrieve.

The pair said they were performing the task at HMP Parc in south Wales to pay off debts to a criminal currently serving time for 'serious firearms offences'.

Clancy, 22, and Heney, 28, were spotted acting suspiciously outside the prison in April.

In July, Cardiff Crown Court heard the bottles contained between £6,500 and £19,500 worth of cannabis, between £750 and £3,000 of cocaine, between £2,000 and £2,500 of steroids, tobacco, syringes, and a mobile phone and chargers.

Heney was jailed for four years and 10 months, while Clancy was sentenced to six years.

The pair had previously entered guilty pleas to eight counts each of conspiracy to supply drugs at an earlier hearing.

The mum 'very lucky' not to be jailed, after twice being caught trying to smuggle drugs into prison

Emma Flynn, 33, was twice caught trying to smuggle drugs into prisons.

She was later told she was 'very lucky' not to be sent to prison.

In July 2018, Flynn, from Wigan, hid a package in her underwear which contained cocaine, cannabis, Subutex, seven pieces of paper impregnated with Spice, a mobile phone and USB stick.

She handed it over to a prisoner she'd never met before, during a visit at HMP Forest Bank in Salford.

The drugs could have been worth £1,375 in prison.

She was allowed to leave the prison without being arrested, and was summonsed to court months later.

Then in October, she tried to smuggle more drugs into a prison, this time at HMP Lancaster Farms.

She was found with 18.5g of cannabis, with a potential value of £1,150, as well as 10ml of testosterone, valued at £50.

Delays meant that she was sentenced for the Lancaster Farms offences before the Forest Bank counts.

She received a suspended sentence for the Lancaster Farms offences, but the sentencing judge was not aware of her offending at Forest Bank.

At Manchester Crown Court in September last year, Judge Patrick Field QC said that if a judge would have sentenced both cases at the same time, it would have been 'highly likely' that Flynn would have been jailed.

Her lawyer said Flynn was 'particularly vulnerable' and that she had been exploited.

She was sentenced to 22 months in prison, suspended for two years.

The woman who tried to smuggle in £33,000 of cocaine while visiting her boyfriend

As the couple began to hug, prison staff noticed something was wrong.

Samantha Turner, 36, had gone to visit her boyfriend Stephen Benson in HMP Forest Bank.

Benson put his hands under the coat Turner was wearing as if he was fumbling for something.

He found a black package, which he stuffed down his trousers.

Officers stepped in and found it contained 10.96g of high purity cocaine, which prosecutors said could be worth anything from £16,000 to £33,200 inside prison.

There was also 14.22g of Spice, with a potential value of £1,442 in prison.

It also contained two iPhones, four small Xanco mobile phones, nine sim cards as well as phone chargers.

In July last year, Manchester Crown Court was told Turner said she thought the package contained a phone battery, Rizla papers and some tobacco, but a judge rejected her claim.

Judge Richard Mansell QC said: "It simply wouldn't have been worth the risk to smuggle tobacco and a battery into prison and the size and weight of the package you received was clearly inconsistent with your claim."

Turner's lawyer said she had a 'very difficult life', and that she was emotionally vulnerable at the time of the visit, in December 2017.

She was jailed for 18 months.

The judge added: "The message must go out loud and clear from these courts that anyone who smuggles illicit items into prison, especially controlled drugs and phones, should expect to receive an immediate custodial sentence regardless of personal mitigation."

The mum who used her baby as a 'distraction' during smuggling bid

Lauren Maskery said she caved into the pressure being applied by her ex, drug dealer Keiran Flanagan, to smuggle drugs into Strangeways prison.

She ended up using her baby daughter as a 'distraction' during the smuggling bid.

Maskery, 24, tried to hand over a package containing pieces of paper with Spice laced onto them during a visit.

Manchester Crown Court heard how the pair had been in relationship for three years and had a daughter together.

The court was told Flanagan, 29, had been calling Maskery and sending messages pressurising her into bringing a package into prison.

The package had been dropped off through her letterbox in the days prior to the incident.

Maskery, from Oldham, said she didn't know that the package contained drugs, a claim which a judge said he 'didn't accept'.

When at HMP Manchester, she hid the package in her bra.

After arriving in the visiting area, she pulled it out and passed it to Flanagan, using the child as a 'distraction', prosecutors said.

The package was found to contain 29 sheets of A4 paper, which had the class B drug Spice laced onto them.

Flanagan was caught, and he said he was also being pressurised by others to smuggle the drugs into jail.

Police estimated the drugs could be worth up to £4,350 in prison.

In August last year, Flanagan was jailed for 20 months, to run consecutively to a previous five year sentence imposed for conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin.

But the judge spared Maskery jail, instead handing down an 18 week sentence, suspended for 18 months.
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They tried to smuggle drugs into Manchester's prisons. They all got caught

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Drugs are even more valuable in prison than on the streets. And when drugs get behind the gates, it creates a lucrative market for dealers operating behind bars. Friends, family and corrupt staff have all been implicated in the supply of contraband over the years - with attempts to hand over illicit substances during visiting time all-too common.

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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/prison-guard-collapse-spice-drug-uk-legal-high-hmp-northumberland-inmates-panorama-bbc-undercover-documentary-a7577971.html?amp

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A prison officer collapsed and convulsed on the floor after accidentally inhaling the synthetic cannabis substitute spice.

Widespread drug use has been uncovered at HMP Northumberland where it is claimed the inmates were, in effect, running the prison.

Undercover filming for the BBC's has revealed inmates threatening staff, guards left alone to control large numbers of prisoners and alarms that did not go off at the site, run by Sodexo Justice Services.

Reporter Joe Fenton said: "On my very first day, I was taken into a room with some of the other new recruits where we were shown a table covered in drugs. It was a massive find by prison staff-2.5kg of a drug called spice-a much stronger, cheaper, synthetic alternative to cannabis.

"Prisoners told officers this find had barely scratched the surface.

"It didn't take too long to realise that the inmates were, in effect, running this prison. I saw prisoners stumbling around drunk, others who were high on drugs and some struggling to cope with addiction.

"On a standard 10-hour shift, the demands from prisoners were endless.

"The work didn't stop from the moment we got there to the moment we left. You just can't work five or six days solid there-it ruins you and you don't feel like a person any more, you just exist."

Large quantities of drugs were stored in cupboards rather than hidden away, he said.

HMP Northumberland houses up to 1,348 male prisoners. Sodexo's website says the company's "vision" for the site was "to lead the way on the Government's priority to create a working prison model".

A spokesman for Sodexo said: "We are proud of those staff at HMP Northumberland who do a professional job in such difficult circumstances.

"Security and the safety of our prisoners and staff are our top priority, which is why we have made significant investments in these two areas over and above the contract requirements.

"We continually review the staffing levels at the prison and have recruited an additional 37 staff above the funded headcount."

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: "These are extremely serious allegations which are being urgently investigated.

"The Justice Secretary has been clear that levels of violence and self-harm in our prisons are too high which is why we are investing an extra £100m annually to boost the frontline by 2,500 officers.

"Every officer will be responsible for a case load of six offenders, making sure all prisoners get the support needed to quit drugs and get the education and training that will help turn their lives around.

"These are long-standing issues which will not be resolved in weeks or months but we are determined to make our prisons places of safety and reform.

"We have robust processes in place to closely monitor and manage private contractors and will not hesitate to take action when standards fall short."

2016 saw claims the prison system was in "total meltdown" after an alarming rise in the number of murders, sexual assaults and attempted hangings. Violence was close to double rates from 2010 before the Coalition government came to power and began controversial reforms.

And official figures revealed a record number of people killed themselves in prisons in England and Wales last year.

There were 354 deaths in custody in 2016, including 119 self-inflicted deaths. Self-harm incidents jumped by 23 per cent to 37,784-nearly 7,000 more than were recorded in the previous year.

In December a riot at HMP Birmingham, run by G4S, saw inmates take over four wings across 12 hours, reportedly burning records and throwing computers out of windows. The clash erupted following tensions over prison conditions and reports inmates were on near-constant "lock-down" due to a lack of prison staff and resources.

Panorama Behind Bars: Prison Undercover will be broadcast at 8.30pm tonight, Monday 13 February.

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Prison guard collapses in convulsions after accidentally taking legal highs

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A prison officer collapsed and convulsed on the floor after accidentally inhaling the synthetic cannabis substitute spice. Widespread drug use has been uncovered at HMP Northumberland where it is claimed the inmates were, in effect, running the prison.

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Teenager lurking outside prison with two parcels .... and a handful of apples

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The 16-year-old was caught by plain clothed officers in the countryside around HMP Forest Bank

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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/drugs-prison-officer-b1766839.html

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A prison officer who tried to smuggle crack cocaine into prison in her underwear has had her jail term increased at the Court of Appeal.

Hannah Gaves, 27, from Bristol, was stopped on her way to work at HMP Erlestoke in Wiltshire in January last year with cannabis, five packets of tobacco and six grams of crack cocaine found in her pants.

She pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply a Class A and a Class B drug and attempting to bring tobacco into the prison.

Ms Gaves was sentenced to three years in prison at Salisbury Crown Court in August.

Following a hearing in London on Friday, Ms Gaves' sentence was increased to four years and eight months in jail.

Lord Justice Davis, sitting with Mrs Justice McGowan and Mr Justice Foxton, said the three-year sentence was "not simply lenient, it is undoubtedly unduly lenient".

Kerry Broome, representing Mr Ellis, told the court that Ms Gaves, who refused to name the person who she said asked her to bring the drugs into the jail, claimed there was "an element of coercion" but that did not justify such a lenient sentence.

Lord Justice Davis said that "as a prison officer, above all she would know what her duty is when threats are made".

The judge added: "It was simply Ms Gaves' say-so that she had been threatened."

Ms Broome said: "There is no evidence at all to support that."

Charles Thomas, for Gaves, suggested that his client "did not know" what was going to happen to the drugs once they were in the prison.

Lord Justice Davis replied: "Oh, come on ... she knows how prisons work."

Mrs Justice McGowan added: "She must have known that drugs are a form of currency in prison and that they are exceptionally dangerous."

Mr Thomas continued that Ms Gaves "should have known better ... when facing threats", adding: "The decision not to take action about it was entirely wrong and that is why she is in the situation she is in now."

CCTV footage showed Ms Gaves "spending a considerable period of time in a cell of a particular prisoner", a decision was made to "stop and search" her when she next attended work.

When Ms Gaves was told she would be searched, and asked if she had any prohibited items, Lord Justice Davis said, "she answered, 'yes, weed and tobacco"'.

But the judge said: "That was not the whole truth because, when she was searched, not only was a quantity of cannabis and five packets of tobacco (found) ... in addition, and hidden in her underwear, was a lump of a white substance wrapped in cling film."

He added that the substance was later found to be "just over six grams of crack cocaine at 81% purity".

Ms Gaves told police she felt she had "no option" and that the unnamed individual who asked her to bring drugs into the jail "knew where she lived and had contacted her on social media".

But Lord Justice Davis said: "If threats are made to (prison officers) they know that their responsibility is to report that threat."

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Former prison officer who tried to smuggle crack cocaine in her underwear has jail term increased

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A prison officer who tried to smuggle crack cocaine into prison in her underwear has had her jail term increased at the Court of Appeal. Hannah Gaves, 27, from Bristol, was stopped on her way to work at HMP Erlestoke in Wiltshire in January last year with cannabis, five packets of tobacco and six grams of crack cocaine found in her pants.

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https://amp.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/25/gangs-using-dead-rats-smuggle-drugs-uk-prisons

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Show caption
Drugs and mobile phones that were found in dead rats. Photograph: Ministry of Justice/PA

'It's not just you who does the jail sentence, it's the whole family' | Clare Horton
Criminal gangs are using dead rats to smuggle contraband material such as drugs and mobile phones into jail, the Prison Service has said.

Staff at HMP Guys Marsh in Dorset discovered three rodents that had been stitched up across their stomachs. Subsequent investigation revealed the animals had been stuffed with phones and chargers, sim cards and drugs.

The animals were found just inside of the perimeter fence of the category C institution, which has been plagued by ill discipline.

The Ministry of Justice said the animals had been thrown over the fence of the prison by criminals who had alerted inmates to pick them up.
Prisons and probation

Ministry of Justice says criminals are stuffing rodents with drugs and mobile phones

Warning: this article includes graphic images some readers may find disturbing

Previously, gangs have used pigeons and tennis balls to attempt to bypass prison security measures.

The prisons minister, Rory Stewart, said: "This find shows the extraordinary lengths to which criminals will go to smuggle drugs into prison, and underlines why our work to improve security is so important. Drugs and mobile phones behind bars put prisoners, prison officers and the public at risk.

"By toughening security and searching, we can ensure prisons are places of rehabilitation that will prevent further reoffending and keep the public safe."

The use of the synthetic drug spice has been identified as one of the key problems in Britain's prisons. Intended to mimic the effects of cannabis, it has been described as the "most severe public health issue we have faced in decades" by Marc Jones, Lincolnshire's police and crime commissioner.

One of the rats before being opened. Photograph: Ministry of Justice/PA

Drugs found stuffed inside the animal. Photograph: Ministry of Justice/PA

In the 12 months to March 2018, there were 13,119 incidents where drugs were found in prisons in England and Wales - a rise of 23% on the previous year. The prevalence of mobile phones has also increased - up by 15% to 10,643 instances in 2017-18.

Guys Marsh has had a troubled recent history. In 2017 there was a rooftop protest involving a drunk prisoner who set fire to the roof after stripping off and torching his clothes. The previous year, photographs emerged on Facebook showing prisoners drinking, using drugs and eating takeaway fish and chips.

Last year the prison's independent monitoring board reported that prisoners had easy access to mobile phones and could "make calls at times to suit themselves".

In 2017, a report from HM Inspectorate of Prisons detailed how inmates were able to walk around the jail in dressing gowns or shorts.

The Guardian reported in 2017 that levels of bullying and violence were so high one of the wings was made into a permanent sanctuary for prisoners fearing for their safety.

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Gangs using dead rats to smuggle drugs into Dorset prison | Prisons and probation | The Guardian

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Ministry of Justice says criminals are stuffing rodents with drugs and mobile phones

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Big drop in drug-soaked prison post after jails start photocopying letters

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https://www.northants.police.uk/news/northants/news/in-court/2022/march-22/eighteen-years-in-prison-for-cocaine-trio/

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HMP Stocken, Stocken Hall Road, Stretton, Oakham

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HMP Stocken, Stocken Hall Road, Stretton, Oakham

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HMP Stocken, Stocken Hall Road, Stretton, Oakham

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https://metro.co.uk/2021/10/09/prison-officer-paid-4000-by-inmate-to-smuggle-cannabis-in-his-trousers-15393135/

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A prison guard been put behind bars after accepting money from drug dealers to sneak drugs into jail.

Jack Nichols had nearly 200g of cannabis resin in the glovebox of his car when he arrived for work at HMP Stocken in August 2019.

He was caught out by a sniffer dog and a search of his vehicle revealed two blocks of the class B drug wrapped in clingfilm, ready to be smuggled in his trousers.

A further 100g of cannabis resin was found hidden in a cell at the prison in Rutland, East Midlands, which had been sneaked in previously.

Investigations revealed Nichols, 29, had been paid £4,000 by inmate Joe Baggaley to smuggle the contraband past his colleagues at the prison gates.

He had started sneaking in tobacco to make money to pay off debts but then it escalated to smuggling in illegal drugs, which sell for about 10 times as much in jail compared to on the street.

Baggaley's friend on the outside, James Hanks, was involved in collecting the drug from dealer Ivan Freeman-Lunt in Liverpool to give to Nichols.

Another man, Mitchell Dytiche, was convicted with them all after he was found to be involved in the bank transfers.

All five men, who had previously pleaded guilty to their involvement, were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court yesterday.

Nichols, from Grantham, Lincolnshire, was jailed for one year and four months for conspiracy to supply class B drugs, possession with intent to supply class B drugs, and conveying a prohibited item into prison

Baggaley, 23, got a further three years imprisonment - to run after his current term ends - for conspiracy to supply a class B drug

Freeman-Lunt, 42, from Liverpool, got two years and one month imprisonment for conspiracy to supply a class B drug.

Dytiche, 24, of, Smallthorne, Staffordshire, got a 20 month sentence, suspended for two years, for conspiracy to supply a class B drug.

Hanks, 25, from Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, got 18 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, plus a 20-day rehabilitation order, for conspiracy to supply a class B drug

Detective Inspector Dan Evans said: 'On the street, this haul was worth just over £3,055, but behind bars drugs are much more valuable.

'We estimated these men could have made in excess of £30,000 from the blocks we seized.

'And not just that, the rivalry that can come from the vying for such illicit commodities by inmates can have serious repercussions for the stability of the prison environment.'

Prison governor Neil Thomas OBE said: 'HMP Stocken will not tolerate corruption in any form and works in partnership with the police to bring to account all those who attempt to supply contraband into our prisons.

'The sentence imposed by the court today will be welcomed by our hardworking and courageous staff, whose safety is undermined by the dishonest actions of a small number of corrupt individuals.'

There will be further court hearings to seize any criminal gains made though the operation under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.

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Prison officer paid £4,000 by inmate to smuggle cannabis in his trousers

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A prison guard been put behind bars after accepting money from drug dealers to sneak drugs into jail. Jack Nichols had nearly 200g of cannabis resin in the glovebox of his car when he arrived for work at HMP Stocken in August 2019.

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HMP Birmingham, Winson Green Road, Birmingham

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https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/six-prisoners-die-hmp-birmingham-22900728.amp

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(Image: Birmingham Mail)

Prisoners are dying at "a rate of more than one a day" across the country - the highest level in recorded history.

According to new figures, 371 people died inside prisons in England in 2021 - including six at HMP Birmingham.

It came as stricter restrictions saw inmates locked up in their cells for 23 hours a day for months on end, amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read more: HMP Birmingham prisoner dies after being taken to hospital
The record death toll includes Birmingham prisoner, Saifur Rahman, who was pronounced dead on January 23.

The 39-year-old inmate would have been celebrating his 40th birthday in the Winson Green Road prison 11 days later.

The Prison Service couldn't confirm his cause of death, which was referred to the coroner for an inquest.

The grim conditions in prisons in England and Wales were laid bare as official figures revealed the number of people dying behind bars had reached its "highest level" since current recording began.

A statistical bulletin, published by the Ministry of Justice, showed a 17 per cent rise in deaths on the year before, when 318 people died.

It surpasses the previous high of 354 deaths recorded in 2016 - when the prison population stood at about 85,000.

Currently, the prison population is significantly lower at 79,303. This makes the recent rise in fatalities even more "concerning", says crime prevention charity, The Howard League.

Suicide in prisons have also increased by 28 per cent in just one year - from 67 in 2020 to 86 in 2021. People on remand or serving sentences of less than six months were said to be at "particularly high risk".

One in five suicides occurred within the person's first 30 days in custody, with one in ten cases occurring within the first week, the figures showed.

From the start of the pandemic in March 2020 to the end of December 2021, 177 people in prison have died within 28 days of having a positive Covid-19 test or where there was a clinical assessment that Covid-19 was a factor in their deaths.

Prisons recorded self-harm at a rate of one every ten minutes, with a total of 52,726 incidents in the 12 months to the end of September 2021.

Though this was a reduction of 11 per cent on the previous 12 months, when the pandemic first took hold, the rate of self-injury among women rose by five per cent.

The Howard League, a charity which aims to reduce crime, said the pandemic had sparked a "mental health crisis" in prisons as it called for the treatment of inmates to be included in the inquiry into the government's handling of Covid-19.

"There is plainly a mental health crisis in our prisons"

Andrea Coomber, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: "For the first time since current recording practices began more than 40 years ago, people in prison are dying at a rate of more than one per day.

"While the full impact of the pandemic will only become apparent in the years to come, there is plainly a mental health crisis in our prisons with suicides up nearly 30 per cent in the past year.

"Tens of thousands of people have been held in overcrowded conditions or solitary confinement for months on end.

"It is almost impossible to fathom the mental distress that this will have caused."

She described the impact as "devastating for the prisoners, their families and the staff looking after them."
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Prisons recorded 20,049 assaults during 2021, marking an 18 per cent reduction on the figures for the previous 12 months.

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Six prisoners die at HMP Birmingham as UK jail death toll rockets

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Prisoners are dying at "a rate of more than one a day" across the country - the highest level in recorded history. According to new figures, 371 people died inside prisons in England in 2021 - including six at HMP Birmingham.

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(Image: Getty Images)

The smoking ban in prison has led to a rise in inmates using e-cigarettes to take hallucinogenic drugs, prison guards have said.

And it has led to wardens in jails unwittingly getting high.

Guards at five of Scotland's 14 prisons were quizzed in a Stirling University study.

They welcomed the ciggies ban behind bars but added that e-cigarettes were an "effective way" for cons to take drugs.

Vaping by prisoners is widespread, with more than 50 per cent using nicotine replacement therapy devices.

Wardens told how inmates weaned off tobacco were using devices to deliver a "hit".

One said: "There has been a lot of instances of vapes being improvised.

"Prisoners know they can put paper in, soaked in NPS (novel psychoactive substances), and that's now their hit."

Another warned guards ingested drugs by mistake.

He said: "They enter a cell to speak to someone and by the time they've left, they've started to feel it [second-hand exposure to NPS].

"They suffer headaches and high blood pressure.

"Their heart rate zooms up and they become shaky and unsteady.

"Staff have been really, really poorly with it."

Phil Fairley, chair of the Prison Officers' Association in Scotland, said: "Prisoners can be ingenious."

Scottish Tories' shadow community safety minister Russell Findlay said: "Much greater attention should be given to risks associated with the abuse of e-cigarettes."

The Scottish Prison Service said: "Prisoners use a variety of ways to take them [drugs] including, we believe, e-cigarettes.

"We are working on ways to detect and prevent their entry into the prison service as well as educating prisoners on their dangers."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.

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Scots prisoners using e-cigs to take hallucinogenic drugs after smoking ban

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The smoking ban in prison has led to a rise in inmates using e-cigarettes to take hallucinogenic drugs, prison guards have said. And it has led to wardens in jails unwittingly getting high. Guards at five of Scotland's 14 prisons were quizzed in a Stirling University study.

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A couple from Stockport have pleaded guilty to their involvement in a smuggling gang which supplied drugs to prison inmates.

The gang also included a female prison officer who was working at the prison at the time, and who has been jailed for two years for her involvement.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how prison officer Rio Moran, 30, of Godfrey Place, Halifax, was arrested when she turned up for work at HMP Doncaster in November 2020.
READ MORE: Pal of teen killed in horror police chase crash had swapped seats
When raiding her Halifax home, officers from South Yorkshire Police's Prison Anti-Corruption Unit found a large amount of drugs and phones in the property.

While conducting the search, Callum Reilly, 30, turned up and tried to post further contraband through the front door, which was bound for Moran's prison.

Inmate James Millington, 31, was later identified as being the recipient of the items and was later arrested.

His partner, Claire Anderson, 32, of Hazelwood Road, Stockport, was found to have assisted with the conspiracy.

She was arrested at her home, where drugs and phones suspected to be bound for prison were also found.

All four defendants previously admitted their roles in the conspiracy at Sheffield Crown Court in September last year.

All but Anderson were sentenced on Monday (February 28).

Moran, of Godfrey Place, Halifax, pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply class B drugs into prison, conspiring to convey list B articles into prison and money laundering.

She was jailed for two years.

Millington, 31, of HMP Leeds, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of class B and C drugs into prison between 2017 and 2020, conspiring to supply class B drugs into prison and conspiring to convey list B articles into prison.

He was jailed for seven years and nine months.

Reilly was sentenced to 12 months behind bars after pleading guilty to supplying a class B drug to Claire Anderson, conspiring to convey list B articles into prison and money laundering.

Anderson pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class B and C drugs into prison between 2017 and 2020, conspiring to supply Class B drugs into prison and conspiring to convey List B articles into prison.

Her sentencing has been adjourned until March 25.

Detective Constable Scott Jarvis said after sentencing: "Our prisons are staffed predominantly with hard working officers who go about their business professionally despite the risks to themselves and colleagues on a daily basis.

"For the majority of staff, their number one aim is the safeguarding of inmates and colleagues, and to support the rehabilitation of those inmates.

"Any officers that fall outside of that and commit crime will be dealt with robustly along with any members of the public assisting that criminality."

Detective Sergeant Gareth Gent, who led the investigation, added: "This is an example of the hard work and processes developed in conjunction with our prisons to allow us to quickly identify corruption and effectively deal with those responsible.

"South Yorkshire Police are committed to supporting our prison establishments."

John Hewitson, Serco Prison Director at HMP Doncaster, said: "We expect the highest standards of behaviour from everyone who works in the prison and the vast majority of our people meet those standards, but this individual fell well short of what is expected.

"Serco has a zero tolerance approach to people breaking the law and we worked closely with the police on this operation to arrest them.

"There is no scenario where we will ever accept people bringing contraband into a secure prison establishment and we will continue to work with local police authorities to eradicate this type of risk."
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Stockport couple helped gang smuggle drugs into prison for inmates

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A couple from Stockport have pleaded guilty to their involvement in a smuggling gang which supplied drugs to prison inmates. The gang also included a female prison officer who was working at the prison at the time, and who has been jailed for two years for her involvement.

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-45980560

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Seven members of a gang which used drones to fly more than £500,000 worth of drugs into prisons have been jailed.

The gang was responsible for 55 drone deliveries into prisons around the country between April 2016 and June 2017.

Police described the drone conspiracy as the "biggest ever seen" in the UK.

The men were sentenced for between three and 10 years and five other gang members were given suspended sentences at Birmingham Crown Court earlier.

Increase in self-harm

The gang flew an estimated £550,000 worth of drugs - mainly cannabis and synthetic cannabis - along with amphetamines, crack cocaine and heroin to inmates' windows, West Midlands Police said.

Prisons in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Worcestershire, Warrington, Lancashire and Liverpool were targeted.

Passing sentence on the 13 defendants convicted of conspiracy charges, Judge Simon Drew QC said: "This was a sophisticated commercial operation and due to the high value placed on drugs and mobile phones in prisons, designed to make those of you who ran the operation hundreds of thousands of pounds in profit."

Drug and mobile phone use in prisons had caused heightened levels of violence, an increase in self-harm and deaths, as well as allowing witness intimidation and illegal financial transactions, Judge Drew added.

Det Insp Gareth Williams from the Prison Investigation Team said: "This is a landmark case: It's the biggest drone drug smuggling racket into prisons ever seen in the UK."

Describing how the gang worked he said a drone flier, assisted by one or two others, would speak to an inmate on a contraband phone to guide a drone into prison where the attached parcel would be hooked off using sticks.

The gang sentenced

Ringleader Lee Anslow, 31, who was serving a sentence at HMP Hewell, was jailed for 10 years

Paul Payne, 33, of Broad Street, Coseley, West Midlands, was jailed for three years and eight months

Justin Millington, 24, of no fixed address, was jailed for three years and four months

Drone pilot Brandon Smith, 24, of Kingsbury Road, Tipton, was jailed for seven years

Shane Hadlington, 29, of Sycamore Lodge, Oldbury, was sentenced to four years and three months

HMP Risley inmate Paul Ferguson, 38, was jailed for four years and nine months

Stefan Rattray, 28, also a serving prisoner, was jailed for four-and-a-half years

Stella Deakin, 41, of Boundary Hill, Dudley, received a suspended six-month prison term

Callum McDonough, 25, of Shenley Fields Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham, received a suspended six-month prison term

Jake Blewitt, 21, of Highfield Road, Tipton, received a suspended six-month prison term

Dwayne Tinker, 21, of Lindridge Drive, Minworth, West Midlands, received a suspended six-month prison term

Richard Harrabin, 28, of Perton Grove, Weoley Castle, Birmingham, was given a one year and six months suspended sentence

Ryan Greaves, 21, of Kimberley Walk, Minworth, was given a 12-month community order

Two other men are due to be sentenced next month.

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Gang who flew drones carrying drugs into prisons jailed

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Seven members of a gang which used drones to fly more than £500,000 worth of drugs into prisons have been jailed. The gang was responsible for 55 drone deliveries into prisons around the country between April 2016 and June 2017. Police described the drone conspiracy as the "biggest ever seen" in the UK.

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https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/crime/criminology-student-jailed-for-sending-spice-letters-to-her-brother-in-jail-3580853

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Falis Hassan and Abdiwali Hassan were arrested after the Prison Service recorded their conversations as they discussed smuggling the drug into the maximum security jail.

The pair also discussed sending spice to inmates in other Category A prisons including HMP Belmarsh and HMP Frankland.

Leeds Crown Court heard the smuggling conspiracy took place between April 15 and April 30 last year.

Falis Hassan and Abdiwali Hassan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to convey a class B drug into prison.

Prison officers at Wakefield intercepted two letters which had been impregnated with the class B synthetic cannabis drug.

The siblings were arrested after their telephone conversions were recorded then translated by a Somali interpreter.

During the conversations Abdiwali, 31, told his sister how to make "spice letters".

Falis, 26, later told her brother that producing the letters "made her high".

The pair also discussed the mail scanning process in prisons.

Letters were sent to HMP Wakefield by recorded delivery from a post office in Ealing, in London, and were intercepted on two occasions.

One letter was addressed to Abdiwali and the other to another prisoner in the jail.

Abdiwali was recorded telling his sister that the letters had been intercepted.

He asked her to send more letters and to spray them with art fixing spray to prevent the drug from being detected by scanning machines.

They also talked about selling five letters for £500.

Abdiwali told his sister he had written to a prisoner at HMP Frankland and asked her if she had been contacted by an inmate at HMP Belmarsh.

Christopher Dunn, prosecuting, said: "The male defendant was clearly running a business not just in his own prison but other prisons".

Both defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to convey a class B drug into prison.

Abdiwali appeared in court via a video link from HMP Swaleside, in Kent,

He is currently serving a prison sentence of indeterminate length and will only be released from custody when the Parole Board no longer considers him to be a danger to the public.

His barrister, Jessica Tate, said Abdiwali accepted he played a leading role in the conspiracy.

Ms Tate said: "He is absolutely clear that it was all his idea.

"He is utterly distressed about what he has done to his sister and the effect it has had on her and her future".

Nicki Roberson, for Falis, said her client was scared of going to prison.

The court heard Falis was three months away from completing a degree in criminology.

Falis, of Yeames Close, Ealing, was jailed for 12 months and Abdiwali was given a 15-month sentence.

Judge Penelope Belcher told Falis: "Your brother seeks to take all the blame from you and take it on himself.

"For him to try to take all the blame for this makes no sense.

"There is no suggestion whatsoever that you were threatened in any way or could not have said no. You clearly could.

"I do not accept that it was naivety because you knew it was illegal and you knew the risks you were running.

"You knew exactly what you were doing."

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Criminology student jailed for sending 'spice letters' to her brother in Wakefield Prison

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Falis Hassan and Abdiwali Hassan were arrested after the Prison Service recorded their conversations as they discussed smuggling the drug into the maximum security jail. The pair also discussed sending spice to inmates in other Category A prisons including HMP Belmarsh and HMP Frankland.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-60198893#:~:text=A%20prison%20officer%20who%20was,of%20jails%20including%20HMP%20Doncaster.

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Reilly, 30, of no fixed abode, but from the Stockport area, pleaded guilty to supplying a class B drug to Claire Anderson, conspiring to convey list B articles into prison and money laundering. He was given a 12-month jail term.

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Prison officer jailed for smuggling drugs into HMP Doncaster

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Reilly, 30, of no fixed abode, but from the Stockport area, pleaded guilty to supplying a class B drug to Claire Anderson, conspiring to convey list B articles into prison and money laundering. He was given a 12-month jail term.

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https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/sep/01/rise-in-prison-officers-contraband-smuggling

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Steep rise in prison officers smuggling drugs into jails

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Hundreds of staff have been sacked or disciplined for passing contraband, including weapons and mobile phones, to inmates

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Ford Prison - Man died of morphine overdose 2013

https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/19908084.amp/

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THESE are the seven inmates that have died while serving sentences in HMP Ford.

Men have died of suicide, drug overdoses and health problems while doing time at the Category D men's prison, located at Ford near Arundel.

Last year, a report from the prison watchdog found that the jail was "certainly not decent or humane".

Now The Argus can reveal a number of deaths at the prison in recent years.

The information comes from the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) which lists inmates who passed while serving their time.

Final reports are published on the PPO website once they have been shared with the family of the deceased, and a coroner's inquest has taken place.

Many of the names have been removed to protect the privacy of the individuals concerned.

For deaths after March 1, 2015, the name of the deceased remains in the report, but other names have been anonymised.

These are the seven men revealed to have died at the prison, which has housed thousands of inmates since it opened in 1960:

William O'Donaghue - heart attack

O'Donaghue died of a heart attack caused by coronary artery disease on June 18, 2019, while a prisoner at HMP Ford.

The 43-year-old had Type 2 diabetes at the time, which was ruled to have contributed to but did not cause his death.

A report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman found his condition was 'poorly manged' and nurses did not bring his high blood pressure to the attention of a prison GP.

When O'Donaghue had a heart attack and was taken to hospital, officers did not consider informing his wife until after his death.

A 43-year-old man - epilepsy

The man was serving an indeterminate sentence for public protection and had been a prisoner at Ford open prison since November 2013.

He had suffered from epilepsy since he was 13 years old and was mostly controlled by medication.

When he experienced fits, it was usually because he had forgotten to take his medication.

But at the time of his death, he had been released from Ford temporarily to spend three nights at The Pines as part of his preparation for release.

On the night of 28 May, he returned from spending the day with his uncle, who rang the next morning and told staff that his nephew had left his medication behind.

Staff went to look for him, but found him dead in the bath. His death was from epilepsy.

A 51-year-old man - lung disease

The prisoner was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1993 and transferred to Ford in 2013.

He had been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease many years before and, by the time he arrived at Ford, he was severely ill.

The man was admitted to hospital a number of times as his health deteriorated. His last admission in December 2013 lasted three weeks and he was told that only palliative care was possible.

Healthcare staff at the prison put in place end of life plans after discussion with the man.

On 24 January, a prison officer found the man unresponsive in his room. In line with the man's wishes, he did not attempt resuscitation.

A 35-year-old man - suicide

The man, who had absconded from HMP Ford on December 17, 2013, was found dead in a public toilet.

He had received a ten months suspended sentence in April 2013 and was jailed in October when he failed to comply with the conditions.

In December, the man appears to have been upset that he had been turned down for release on temporary licence and thought he was also unlikely to get released early under the home detention curfew scheme.

On the evening of December 16, 2013, he told his roommate that he had taken some heroin earlier that afternoon and that he intended to abscond from the prison.

The next morning he was missing. He was later found hanged in Bournemouth four days later.

A 31-year-old man - overdose

The prisoner had been released on home leave from Ford when he was found dead in the street one morning in February 2013.

There had been no recorded problems on his previous periods of home leave but before he left, the prison received intelligence that he might bring drugs back to the prison.

But it was decided that the information was not significant enough to deny the man his home leave as there was no indication that he had used drugs in prison.

A post-mortem examination indicated that he died of morphine poisoning combined with the effects of alcohol.

A 31-year-old man - fatal toxicity

In September 2006, the 31-year-old was found dead in his room during the late morning roll check.

The man had misused drugs and alcohol, and had a complicated history of mental health problems, which were diagnosed shortly before he entered custody.

As his mental health appeared to have stabilised by the time he went to HMP Wandsworth he did not receive his prescribed medication but was seen regularly by the mental health team.

When he transferred to HMP Ford, the man's mental health was beginning to show signs of deterioration.

However, this was quickly addressed by the prison's GP and primary mental healthcare nurse.

According to the report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, he had died as a result of fatal toxicity. A police investigation ruled out any suspicious circumstances.

A 71-year-old man - pneumonia

At a hospital and while serving a life sentence at HMP Ford, the 71-year-old died from pneumonia on September 23 2004.

On 21 September 2004, the man consulted prison Healthcare with an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), which the doctor treated with paracetamol.

Within 24 hours, the man's condition deteriorated significantly and he was transferred to hospital, where he died two days later.

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REVEALED: The seven inmates who have died in troubled HMP Ford

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THESE are the seven inmates that have died while serving sentences in HMP Ford. Men have died of suicide, drug overdoses and health problems while doing time at the Category D men's prison, located at Ford near Arundel. Last year, a report from the prison watchdog found that the jail was "certainly not decent or humane".

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Female prison officer among gang members jailed for smuggling drugs into jail

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Two people from Stockport, Callum Reilly and Claire Anderson, have also appeared before a court.

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-60420428

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HMP Humber drug death fall in prison was accidental, says ombudsman

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Anthony Clark walked off safety netting at HMP Humber and fell 12ft to his death, a report finds.

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https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/prison-officer-jailed-smuggling-drugs-24609552.amp

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EXCLUSIVE: Lee Davies was jailed for 12 years after smuggling cocaine and mobiles into Lancaster Farms young offenders institution back in 2010 but has now turned his life around

A prison officer who ended up behind bars for smuggling drugs to lags says new guards need more help.

Lee Davies pocketed £400 a time for sneaking cannabis and mobiles into his jail-issue trousers after he was groomed by cons.

But he found himself in a cell when colleagues caught him.

Lee, 40, said: "I shouldn't have done what I did but if we're looking at protecting people there's got to be more training.

"Looking at the big problems in UK jails of corruption and drugs, surely more time should be dedicated to corruption."

Lee has turned his life around and trained as an electrician since he was locked up in 2010.

He said: "I've seen what it's taken away from me. Doing that one thing for 400 quid may have cost me 12 years and my family, just for what?

"There's no excuse for what I did, but I have deep sympathy for people working in that environment."

Hundreds of prison officers have been sacked for misconduct since Lee was caught out. Sources believe bent warders are among the biggest routes into prison for drugs and illegal phones.

Their salaries begin at £22,850 and Lee explained: "If someone offers them £400 quid, that's more than their wage.

"I know it's not right but people are always going to be susceptible to that."

The former youth footballer for Preston North End joined the Prison Service aged 27 and worked at Lancaster Farms young offenders institution.

He first agreed to smuggle a package for an inmate whose dad was sick. Despite saying it was a one-off he carried on doing it.

He was caught after a year and spent another 12 months on bail, struggling with alcohol and cocaine abuse. He pleaded guilty and was sent to HMP Shrewsbury.

At first Lee worried how other inmates would treat him - especially after his case was in prison mag Inside Time and his photo published. But despite the hardship of doing time he said: "I found myself struggling more coming out."

On release in 2012 after serving half his four-year sentence, he retrained but has been refused jobs because of his conviction.

Lee tried to take his own life then got help from Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous. He now helps others. "It's all about protecting the young ones for me now", he said.

His story came as the prison watchdog warned last week that the pandemic had exacerbated "unacceptable conditions" in jails.

The Prison Service said: "The vast majority of officers are hardworking and dedicated. We are investing millions to beef up security, support staff vulnerable to blackmail or bribery and crack down on the small minority who decide to turn criminal."

Watch Lee's interview with Neil Samworth on the Real Porridge Podcast HERE.

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Prison officer jailed for smuggling drugs to lags says guards need more help

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EXCLUSIVE: Lee Davies was jailed for 12 years after smuggling cocaine and mobiles into Lancaster Farms young offenders institution back in 2010 but has now turned his life around A prison officer who ended up behind bars for smuggling drugs to lags says new guards need more help.

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(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Drugs are even more valuable in prison than on the streets.

And when drugs get behind the gates, it creates a lucrative market for dealers operating behind bars.

Friends, family and corrupt staff have all been implicated in the supply of contraband over the years - with attempts to hand over illicit substances during visiting time all-too common.

Meanwhile, some offenders have resorted to 'throw-overs' - where drugs are hurled over the prison wall, to get drugs inside.

Once on the wing, drugs can fuel a multitude of problems - like violence, control and debt.

The M.E.N. recently reported on particular problems at HMP Forest Bank in Salford.

Figures revealed drugs were found at the prison 654 times last year, the third highest of any prison in England and Wales.

Meanwhile a string of cases, has revealed the substances most in demand in jail - and the desperate measures criminals will resort to to get them inside.

The pregnant mum jailed after being caught trying to smuggle cannabis into jail

Leonie Gerrard, 19, from Salford, was caught with cannabis, tobacco, a mobile phone and two sim cards, while she went to visit a prisoner.

Despite her being pregnant, the judge said her crimes were so serious that she deserved jail.

She had been visiting an inmate at a Young Offender's Institution at Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, in December 2018.

The pair had 'embraced' during the visit and an 'exchange' was made where the package containing the illicit items was handed over.

The prisoner was stopped, and Gerrard was also held.

Just less than 25 grams of cannabis was recovered, Manchester Crown Court heard earlier this month.

She later claimed to have been pressurised into taking in the package after receiving threats.

Her lawyer said Gerrard was not aware of what was in the package, and 'chose not to ask'.

Jailing her for 15 months, the judge, Recorder Michael Blakey, told her: "You are very young, and obviously, I don't mean any disrespect, you have been very foolish on this occasion. It is sad to see you here before me in a crown court."

The dealer who didn't stop even after being locked up

Being jailed didn't stop their drug dealing operation.

Anton Daniels, from Sale, Trafford, threw drugs over a prison wall so Tania Dewar, who worked for him and had been remanded in custody, could sell to inmates.

Daniels, 36, threw 'several parcels' over a wall at HMP Styal, Cheshire Police said.

He was caught after being stopped by police in Wilmslow in February.

At his home, police found 'assets' worth more than £100,000, including vehicles, cash, designer clothing and a 'high-value' watch.

Mobile phone messages linked Daniels and Dewar to drug dealing in both Macclesfield and Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.

Daniels, of Brooklands Road, was sentenced to 10 years.

He previously admitted to conspiracy to supply class A drugs; money laundering; and conspiring to throw class A drugs into a prison.

Dewar, 31, of Somerset Close, Macclesfield, was jailed for seven years and six months. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs; and conspiring to throw class A drugs into a prison.

She was also convicted of possession with intent to supply class A drugs - heroin and cocaine - in connection with a separate case.

The pair caught acting 'suspiciously' outside prison who were found with about £25,000 of drugs

They were caught with cocaine, cannabis and steroids worth up to £25,000, which was to be thrown over a prison wall.

Kurtis Clancy from Oldham, and Dean Heney, from Manchester, stashed the drugs in drinks bottles.

When they were caught, police found a black bag containing three Lucozade bottles and another container full of drugs with hooks attached to the outside.

A mobile phone and chargers were also to be thrown over the prison walls for inmates to retrieve.

The pair said they were performing the task at HMP Parc in south Wales to pay off debts to a criminal currently serving time for 'serious firearms offences'.

Clancy, 22, and Heney, 28, were spotted acting suspiciously outside the prison in April.

In July, Cardiff Crown Court heard the bottles contained between £6,500 and £19,500 worth of cannabis, between £750 and £3,000 of cocaine, between £2,000 and £2,500 of steroids, tobacco, syringes, and a mobile phone and chargers.

Heney was jailed for four years and 10 months, while Clancy was sentenced to six years.

The pair had previously entered guilty pleas to eight counts each of conspiracy to supply drugs at an earlier hearing.

The mum 'very lucky' not to be jailed, after twice being caught trying to smuggle drugs into prison

Emma Flynn, 33, was twice caught trying to smuggle drugs into prisons.

She was later told she was 'very lucky' not to be sent to prison.

In July 2018, Flynn, from Wigan, hid a package in her underwear which contained cocaine, cannabis, Subutex, seven pieces of paper impregnated with Spice, a mobile phone and USB stick.

She handed it over to a prisoner she'd never met before, during a visit at HMP Forest Bank in Salford.

The drugs could have been worth £1,375 in prison.

She was allowed to leave the prison without being arrested, and was summonsed to court months later.

Then in October, she tried to smuggle more drugs into a prison, this time at HMP Lancaster Farms.

She was found with 18.5g of cannabis, with a potential value of £1,150, as well as 10ml of testosterone, valued at £50.

Delays meant that she was sentenced for the Lancaster Farms offences before the Forest Bank counts.

She received a suspended sentence for the Lancaster Farms offences, but the sentencing judge was not aware of her offending at Forest Bank.

At Manchester Crown Court in September last year, Judge Patrick Field QC said that if a judge would have sentenced both cases at the same time, it would have been 'highly likely' that Flynn would have been jailed.

Her lawyer said Flynn was 'particularly vulnerable' and that she had been exploited.

She was sentenced to 22 months in prison, suspended for two years.

The woman who tried to smuggle in £33,000 of cocaine while visiting her boyfriend

As the couple began to hug, prison staff noticed something was wrong.

Samantha Turner, 36, had gone to visit her boyfriend Stephen Benson in HMP Forest Bank.

Benson put his hands under the coat Turner was wearing as if he was fumbling for something.

He found a black package, which he stuffed down his trousers.

Officers stepped in and found it contained 10.96g of high purity cocaine, which prosecutors said could be worth anything from £16,000 to £33,200 inside prison.

There was also 14.22g of Spice, with a potential value of £1,442 in prison.

It also contained two iPhones, four small Xanco mobile phones, nine sim cards as well as phone chargers.

In July last year, Manchester Crown Court was told Turner said she thought the package contained a phone battery, Rizla papers and some tobacco, but a judge rejected her claim.

Judge Richard Mansell QC said: "It simply wouldn't have been worth the risk to smuggle tobacco and a battery into prison and the size and weight of the package you received was clearly inconsistent with your claim."

Turner's lawyer said she had a 'very difficult life', and that she was emotionally vulnerable at the time of the visit, in December 2017.

She was jailed for 18 months.

The judge added: "The message must go out loud and clear from these courts that anyone who smuggles illicit items into prison, especially controlled drugs and phones, should expect to receive an immediate custodial sentence regardless of personal mitigation."

The mum who used her baby as a 'distraction' during smuggling bid

Lauren Maskery said she caved into the pressure being applied by her ex, drug dealer Keiran Flanagan, to smuggle drugs into Strangeways prison.

She ended up using her baby daughter as a 'distraction' during the smuggling bid.

Maskery, 24, tried to hand over a package containing pieces of paper with Spice laced onto them during a visit.

Manchester Crown Court heard how the pair had been in relationship for three years and had a daughter together.

The court was told Flanagan, 29, had been calling Maskery and sending messages pressurising her into bringing a package into prison.

The package had been dropped off through her letterbox in the days prior to the incident.

Maskery, from Oldham, said she didn't know that the package contained drugs, a claim which a judge said he 'didn't accept'.

When at HMP Manchester, she hid the package in her bra.

After arriving in the visiting area, she pulled it out and passed it to Flanagan, using the child as a 'distraction', prosecutors said.

The package was found to contain 29 sheets of A4 paper, which had the class B drug Spice laced onto them.

Flanagan was caught, and he said he was also being pressurised by others to smuggle the drugs into jail.

Police estimated the drugs could be worth up to £4,350 in prison.

In August last year, Flanagan was jailed for 20 months, to run consecutively to a previous five year sentence imposed for conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin.

But the judge spared Maskery jail, instead handing down an 18 week sentence, suspended for 18 months.
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They tried to smuggle drugs into Manchester's prisons. They all got caught

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Drugs are even more valuable in prison than on the streets. And when drugs get behind the gates, it creates a lucrative market for dealers operating behind bars. Friends, family and corrupt staff have all been implicated in the supply of contraband over the years - with attempts to hand over illicit substances during visiting time all-too common.