A drug addict was caught trying to smuggle crack cocaine into Cardiff prison by security guards.
Katie Evans, 34, from Newport, was also found in possession of buprenorphine, an opioid painkiller, and tobacco when she attended the Knox Road prison to visit an inmate.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday heard Evans was vulnerable due to a long-standing drug addiction and was described by her defence barrister as "likely to die" if she did not break the cycle of addiction.
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The offence took place on October 18, 2019, when Evans was noted acting suspiciously by guards working at the prison.
When they searched her, they found a small amount of crack cocaine as well as the other substances.
The defendant, of Clarence Place, later pleaded guilty to three counts of conveying a listed article into prison. She was also in breach of a conditional discharge.
In mitigation, barrister Nigel Fryer said his client suffered "significant addiction" throughout her adult life.
He added: "That leads to compulsive thinking, reckless behaviour and placing herself in positions of vulnerability.
"It's a cycle she desperately wishes to break and she understands if she doesn't break this cycle she is going to die... She suffers from fits, depression and many health issues brought about by that evil route of addiction".
Judge Michael Fitton QC lamented the delay in the case and highlighted issues with the workload of officers processing cases.
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But he agreed with Mr Fryer's assertion that the best place for the defendant at the present time was prison.
He added: "You knew from the signs about the consequences if you took illegal substances in and you know this has to be met with by an immediate custodial sentence."
Evans was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment.
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