Drug-smuggling prison officer jailed

A Lancashire prison officer smuggled spice, cannabis resin, buprenorphine and ketamine into a jail by hiding the drugs in tins of food, a court has heard.

Julia Watson, of Cheetham Meadow in Leyland, was jailed for four months after admitting four counts at Preston Crown Court of smuggling prohibited goods into HMP Garth, near Leyland.

The 61-year-old had been working at the Category B prison since August 2015 when she was caught on 20 April 2024.

Officers from the prison's dedicated search team found two carrier bags containing cans filled with drugs.

Five tins, disguised as branded food products, were found to contain synthetic cannabis - more commonly known as spice, said North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU).

CCTV footage and X-ray scanner images from the prison's gate security area confirmed the items matched those brought in by Watson earlier that morning.

Other footage showed Watson taking "an unusual route through" the prison and operating a waste management truck which stopped near A Wing before the items were discovered.

A mobile device, handwritten notes, cash, and other personal items were found in a search at her home.

Forensic analysis of the seized tins and packaging identified a fingerprint belonging to Watson on one of the carrier bags containing the drugs.

She was subsequently arrested and suspended from duty.

Insp Brian Morley, from NWROCU's prison investigation unit said: "This operation has successfully exposed and dismantled a breach of trust that threatened the safety and integrity of HMP Garth.

"The prison value of the drugs Julia Watson brought into the prison is up to £95,000, and the presence of such substances fuels violence, debt, intimidation, and exploitation among prisoners."

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