INDIVIDUAL SENTENCES

14 members of drugs gang jailed for a total of 36 years

A DRUG conspiracy which was exposed when prison officers discovered drugs on a woman visiting her son in prison has resulted in 14 people being sent to jail.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court last Thursday heard various family members would smuggle tablets of buprenorphine (known as Subutex), an opioid used to treat heroin addiction, while visiting relatives at HMP Cardiff and HMP Parc in Bridgend.

The hearing saw 14 defendants appear before the court after the majority pleaded guilty to drug offences, and two were found guilty after a trial.

Detailing how the conspiracy was uncovered, prosecutor Michael Hammett described how defendant Susan Hynes, 56, was visiting her son Nathan Hynes, 32, at HMP Parc on December 24, 2015.

He said: “She was behaving suspiciously while sat at a table with her son and was asked by a prison officer to show what was in her hands.

“Nathan Hynes made a grab across the table for what was in his mother’s hands, but officers found a small cling-film package containing seven whole tablets of Subutex and fragments comprising two tablets, with a combined prison value of £210 and £350.

“Susan and Nathan Hynes were arrested, and in the former’s handbag was discovered 0.84 grams of amphetamine.”

In her police interview, Susan Hynes claimed she brought the tablets into the prison after her son had told her he was being bullied. An examination of phone records showed she was being supplied with tablets and other substances by her other son, Craig Hynes, 38.

Further messages showed Hynes was in contact with her son while he was in prison through the use of illicit mobile phones. She had also given her son use of bank accounts in her name and made payments on his behalf for Subutex.

Susan Hynes’ phone records also showed messages to Emma Whatmough, 37, who frequently travelled with Hynes to HMP Cardiff so she could visit her then partner Michael Booth. Whatmough was also involved in the smuggling of Subutex tablets into prison and was involved in the conspiracy.

Another defendant, Jodie Powell, 25, was also found to be in contact with Susan Hynes in regards to Subutex tablets and she had on occasion smuggled the tablets for her then partner Ashley Evans, who was serving a sentence at HMP Cardiff. She also made payments on behalf of Evans in relation to the supply of Subutex.

Another two defendants, Debbie Cullen, 58, and Carly Stead, 22, were also involved in the conspiracy by making payments and allowing the use of their bank accounts by Cullen’s son and Stead’s partner Craig Cullen, as part of the contraband drugs supply into HMP Cardiff. In Cullen’s case, £7,000 passed through her account, while £1,700 passed through Stead’s account.

Seven other defendants also appeared in court in relation to the conspiracy, with £157,000 worth of payments made into their bank accounts between them due to the supply of drugs in prison.

Nicholas Bradbeer, 25, Jamie Fewtrell, 35, Christian Nicholas, 31, John Blakeney, 30, and John Gluyas, 36, were serving prisoners at the time of their offences, while Blakeney’s mother Tara Gaskin, 49, and his then partner Christine Sperin, 36, allowed their bank accounts to be used to launder money which had been received through the drug conspiracy.

Sentencing last Friday at Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Stephen Hopkins said: “With due respect to all defence submissions, there’s more than an air of unreality about them. The case against the first five defendants is that of supplying drugs into a prison, and that is a substantially aggravating factor.

“It’s an unfortunately common but invariable fact, in cases out of misguided loyalty, a mother or female partner feels they have to help out a loved one in prison. Cases involving such behaviour involving one smuggle inevitably lead to immediate custody, and this case is so much worse.

“Those on the outside illegally sourced and smuggled the controlled drug Subutex into prison for the benefit of those who use it themselves or supply it into the prisons, causing all sorts of problems. Those who launder money, whether they use the ill-gotten gains themselves or pass it on, are providing a vital service for those partaking in the very serious crime of drug trafficking.”

Speaking to Susan Hynes, Judge Hopkins added: “You were doing it out of misguided love and support for your son. Every son would be proud to have you as a mother and your sons should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves for putting you in this position.” Speaking after sentencing, Detective Inspector Richard Weber, of South Wales Police, said: “This was a very complex case which involved the examination of dozens of bank accounts and mobile phone bills and it was this work which uncovered the movement of hundreds of thousands of pounds of drug money.

“I would like to thank Detective Constable Harding for his commitment, diligence and professionalism.

“I would also like to praise officers at HMP Parc whose initial intervention started this investigation. They have been supportive throughout and these convictions demonstrate how we work closely to tackle the daily threat of drugs in prisons.

“South Wales Police take the smuggling of contraband into prisons seriously and will follow the evidence wherever it takes us. Operation Red Hercules has resulted in arrests from Llanelli to the West Midlands and underlines our determination to stamp out drugs in our prisons which contributes to violence and places additional stress on other emergency services such as the ambulance service and NHS.

“Ultimately, we must ensure that prisons are a place where inmates can rehabilitate and feel safe from harm, rather than be introduced to drugs so that others can make significant sums of money.”

Janet Wallsgrove, director for HMP Parc, said: “The verdicts send a strong message to those who would seek to disrupt the prison’s regime by attempting to bring contraband into Parc that they risk facing prison time themselves.”

“Drugs inside any prisons make them less safe for prisoners, who deserve a safe place to live, and staff, who deserve a safe place to work. I’d like to thank my team for their vigilance and we will continue to work closely with South Wales Police to ensure that anyone who attempts to flout the law by smuggling contraband into Parc is brought to justice.”