Books used to smuggle drugs into prison

Prisons across the country have a drug problem and it has always been a mystery how so many drugs are smuggled in. One of the methods was recently discovered after two men were caught smuggling £16,500-worth of heroin and £1,000-worth of cocaine into Saughton prison in Edinburgh; they hid the drugs inside the spines of books.

The drug dealers were caught during a joint operation between police and prison bosses. At a hearing at the high court in Edinburgh, another man ‒ who was identified by the Prison Watch scheme ‒ was found guilty of throwing packages containing mobile phones and drugs over the prison wall. This is a more common method for delivering drugs into prisons.

Each of the people involved received prison sentences of up to two years. PC Tracey Gunn, prison link officer at Saughton, said: “These lengthy sentences are the result of an operation into an organised crime group linked to HMP Edinburgh. Their conviction is testament to the joint work of police, the prison service and the Crown Office in tackling organised crime within prisons.”

The Prison Watch scheme was started in November 2011 and invites members of the public to report suspicious activity around the prison. It also asks those who are visiting family members in prison to report anything suspicious that they see.

Since the scheme was launched there has been a 76% reduction in the amount of contraband entering the prison.

Drug abuse in prisons is still a major issue but it seems that asking the local community to keep a watchful eye out can and does help.