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.
