Crackdown on criminals running rackets from jail

CRIME lords will serve their jail terms alongside murderers, terrorists and the worst sex offenders in maximum security prisons, the Justice Secretary will announce today.

The initiative aims to stop ‘Mr Bigs’ directing their empires of drugsmuggling, gun-running and human trafficking from behind bars.

Currently, the category of jail that prisoners are sent to depends on sentence length and escape risk. But David Gauke wants the risk of ‘continuing criminality in prison’ to be taken into account too.

In his first major speech since becoming Justice Secretary in January, he will effectively acknowledge that jails are struggling to cope. And he will announce a £14million squad to ‘identify, track, stop and prosecute’ organised gangs in prison.

Jailed criminals have evolved their methods of getting drugs by using drones to fly to specific cell windows and even coating children’s paintings in psychoactive substances.

An MoJ source said: ‘These activities not only create further criminality inside prison walls, but cause chaos in our communities ... their impact is far reaching. It is believed one in 13 inmates in England and Wales – more than 6,500 prisoners – are linked to organised crime gangs.