Police officers found drugs, weapons and 70 litres of hooch when they carried out searches as part of a major operation at HM Prison Wealstun.
Officers from West Yorkshire Police and Leeds District Serious Organised Crime Unit worked alongside prison officers and used sniffer dogs to search cells and communal areas last week, as part of Operation Dragshot.
They searched visitors, staff and contractors entering the prison too, while mounted officers and police drones patrolled the surrounding area to stop packages from being thrown over prison walls.
West Yorkshire Police's Roads Policing Unit also patrolled surrounding roads, searching for drivers who were acting suspiciously and may be involved in crime linked to the prison in Thorp Arch.
Over a three-day period, officers found cannabis, crack pipes, Class A drugs, tobacco, 70 litres of prohibited liquids (hooch), razor blades, adapted weapons, a large amount of cash and a set of scales.
Detective superintendent Jaz Khan said: "There are very clear links between the supply of drugs, phones and other contraband into prisons and organised criminality that damages our communities.
“The supply of drugs and other items fuels violence and creates debts which gives those behind it opportunities to exploit other prisoners and even their families.
"The illegal use of mobile phones allows organised criminals to directly maintain their operations on the outside.
"This operation demonstrates how we are working together effectively to tackle these issues that can be damaging to prison life and present significant risks both to staff and inmates.
“We hope Operation Dragshot will send a strong deterrent message to those who think they can get away with trying to smuggle items into prisons.
“We will continue to work closely in partnership with our colleagues in the Prison Service to conduct similar operations at HMP Wealstun and other prison sites in the Leeds district in the future.”
Disrupting the criminal gangs
The Governor of HM Prison Wealstun Diane Lewis added: “We are always looking at new ways to disrupt the criminal gangs who target vulnerable individuals within HM Prison Wealstun.
"This operation has given us the opportunity to build on our already excellent links with West Yorkshire Police.
“It is amazing to see the capability that the police specialist search units bring when working alongside the Wealstun and the HMPPS Yorkshire Prison Group Search Teams.
"The results were impressive and I look forward to this becoming a regular initiative.”
Last year the government invested £10 million a wave of measures designed to tackle drug abuse and violence in 10 UK prisons, including HM Prison Wealstun and HM Prison Leeds.
It provided governors with new scanners that can detect packages inside bodies and sniffer dogs, as well as money to spend on improving perimeter defences, repairing basic infrastructure and improving living conditions.
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