Jail where drug bosses ply trade from their cells

PRISON officers seized 500 drug packages in six months at a jail where gangsters ply their trade from their cells, a report has revealed.

Staff also found 243 mobile phones smuggled in for crime bosses to run a lucrative illegal trade from behind bars, according to the prisons watchdog.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons found HMP Lindholme, a Category C jail near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, was one of the country’s worst for drugs and violence.

A ‘shockingly high’ 27 per cent of the 1,000-plus inmates said they had developed a drug habit since entering the prison – ‘far worse’ than at similar establishments, inspectors found.

More than two-thirds of prisoners interviewed said it was easy to get hold of illegal substances including the ‘zombie’ drug’ spice, which had fuelled a surge in attacks and disorder. A total of 40 per cent of convicts tested positive for illicit narcotics.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke said the jail had a ‘challenging’ population, with around 20 per cent of the inmates having links to organised crime gangs that sneaked drugs, weapons and mobile phones over the walls.