A British prisoner has had six years added to his jail term after a police sniffer dog discovered a massive haul of drugs and mobile phones in his cell.
Simon Davies, 44, was serving a four-and-a-half year sentence for burglary at HMP Preston after being jailed at Preston Crown Court in January 2016.
During a search of his cell in March last year, a sniffer dog discovered drugs estimated to be worth more than £32,000 (€36,128).
The huge stash of contraband included a quantity of synthetic cannabinoid Spice worth £19,000, heroin with an estimated street value of £6,000, a quantity of cannabis worth an estimated £4,500, cocaine valued at £1,500 and steroids worth some £1,800.
Needles, mobile phones and Sim cards were also discovered in Davies’ cell.
He was handed an additional six years to run in addition to his previous sentence after pleading guilty to the possession of drugs with intent to supply and possessing a mobile phone while in prison without authority.
It is thought Davies intended to sell the drugs to other prisoners after they were smuggled into the jail.
Detective Constable Justin Singleton from Preston CID commented: “The items found in Davies’ cell could have been extremely dangerous and it is lucky that they were seized before they were sold on.
“I am pleased with the result and hope it sends a clear message to criminals thinking of either smuggling illegal items or drugs into prison that they will get caught and brought to justice.
“If you have any information about this kind of activity, please report it to us.”
Speaking with the London Evening Standard last week, Peter Clarke, the UK’s Chief Inspector of Prisons, said that airport-style security measures should be introduced at jails in England and Wales to stop a flood of illegal drugs reaching inmates.
Discussing how dealers are managing to get drugs into jails by flying drones laden with contraband up to inmates’ windows and by throwing illegal substances over prison walls, Clarke said: “Nothing will change unless safety is dealt with and a key part of safety is keeping drugs out of jail.
“New psychoactive substances are still destabilising a lot of prisons and contributing to a huge amount of violence. Some of them are deluged in it.
“It’s making them virtually unmanageable. Jails need more support from the centre around technology and techniques. Things like scanners. Think in terms of airport security.”
Last month, a report from Public Health England (PHE) revealed that British prisoners are twice as likely to be addicted to new psychoactive substances such as Spice when they leave jail as they are at the beginning of their sentence.
Speaking at PHE’s conference at Warwick University in September, Dr George Ryan said: “It’s a very potent drug so people get a lot more bangs for their buck. It remains a very affordable drug in prison for some people. Higher potency forms increase the risk of people becoming dependent.”
