Gavin Mackintosh-
A mother who smuggled cannabis hidden inside her bra into a Leeds prison has been locked up.
30-year-old Stacey Howard was arrested during a visit to her boyfriend at HMP Wealstun after staff became suspicious on September 6 last year. Jurors at Leeds Crown Court heard Howard was stopped and asked if she was in possession of any illegal items. The mum-of-three initially denied having any possession of illegal substances but was found to be lying after she told the officers that she was in possession of the class B drug before removing a 13-gram package from her bra.
Howard later told police she had committed the offense after someone had visited her home and threatened her. She claimed she was told her partner would be “slashed” if she did not take the drug to the jail. Her excuse was ridiculous and not credible, nobody secretly smuggles drugs into a prison because of a threat. Howard, of Heath Mount, Beeston, was given a two-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to conveying a list A article into prison.
Sara Lyle, mitigating, said Howard had pleaded guilty to the offense at an early stage and had no previous convictions.Miss Lyle claimed Howard was suffering from depression following the breakdown of the relationship with a previous partner.She added: “This has been an absolutely enormous lesson to her.”Jailing Howard, judge Geoffrey Marson, QC, said: “What you should have done was to go to the police and tell them what had happened so they could deal with it. “People have to understand that if you take drugs into prison intending to hand them over, there has to be an immediate custodial sentence.”
Drug smuggling is rampant in British prisons and many others around the world. It is unacceptable illegal behavior that furthers the practice of drugs in jails. Wealston prison is to be commended for having an effective procedure that catches drugs smugglers; many other jails in Britain have been either lax or incompetent in this respect.
The Eye Of Media.Com has heard of several instances in Chelmsford prison where drugs and spice have been smuggled into jails without detection.The 30-year-old mother of three was effectively supplying drugs and got away lightly, but her capture and prosecution should send a message to others that the smuggling of drugs into prisons is a criminal offense that will not be tolerated.