There’s a new problem for prison officers to deal with - zombie drug spice being smuggled into cells inside trainers. The Mirror reports the ruse is believed to have been used scores of times by freed prisoners being recalled because of a breach of licence.
And some offenders almost certain of getting a jail term even used the trainers trick before going to court for sentence. They devised a way to get through security checks by tucking paper soaked in the synthetic mind-altering substance under trainer insoles.
A source at Category C HMP Moorland near Doncaster said: “It was popular among returning prisoners. They knew it was a surefire way to get drugs inside or make a few quid selling them.”
A credit-card sized piece of paper soaked in spice, which is smoked in a makeshift pipe, fetches at least £50 behind bars - a hefty mark-up on the local street price. The insider added: “People facing a certain prison sentence also tried it on. It seemed a failsafe until guards got wind.”
Now, convicts at Moorland, which is home to 1,000 men, must remove trainers for inspection. Jail bosses have sussed out what is happening and are trying to combat the issue.
The authorities have been battling deadly spice for more than a decade. Users can have breathing problems and heart attacks. The latest smuggling tactic emerged in a report by the Independent Monitoring Board.
It said: “Staff are acutely aware of the need to identify new avenues for the passing of illicit items.” Smuggling has included the use of drones and the Prison Service has spent more than £100 million on anti-smuggling systems.
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