Spice drug confiscated at Parc Prison
INMATES at Bridgend’s HMP Parc managed to smuggle in the drug Spice hundreds of times in the past two years, official figures have revealed.
INMATES at Wales’ second-largest prison managed to smuggle in the drug Spice hundreds of times in the past two years, official figures have revealed.
Spice is a powerful synthetic substance known as the “zombie drug” for the incapacitated state it leaves users in.
It was confiscated by guards at the 2,000-capacity men’s Parc prison in Bridgend 254 times from July 2015 to November 2017, according to figures from the Ministry of Jus- tice (MOJ). It was by far the most prolific new psychoactive substance (NPS) – once known as legal highs – found by guards.
According to MOJ records, released under the Freedom of Information Act, just four other NPS drugs were found in the same period.
In 2017, Spice was the only drug to be found with 89 instances of it being found.
A gram of the drug re- portedly can sell for up to £100 in prison, according to a report by HM Inspectorate of Probation published in November.
The damning report revealed how bored inmates are taking between five and eight grams of NPSs a day and spending up to £800 a time.
Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “These figures will add to growing concern about safety in Parc.
“Last year an official inspection report on the prison found that violence was rife and drugs were readily available.
“Where there is drug abuse there is also debt and violence and these problems have become more severe in prisons across Wales and England as overcrowding and staff cuts have taken their toll.
“The best way to reduce the supply of drugs into prisons is to reduce the demand for them.
“This means ensuring that prisons are properly resourced and prisoners are occupied with purposeful activity such as work, education, training, and exercise.
“Above all we need to see bold but sensible action to reduce the prison population. This would save lives, protect staff, and prevent more people being swept away into deeper currents of crime and despair.”
The once-legal Spice is a synthetic substitute for cannabis. A blanket ban on all new psychoactive substances came into force in May 2016 – criminalising the production, distribution, sale and supply of the drugs.
Director for HMP Parc, Janet Wallsgrove, said: “These figures show the scale of the challenge that is faced by my team at Parc and the success of the proactive steps taken to detect and seize new psychoactive substances inside the prison.
“We will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Justice and South Wales Police to create an environment which ultimately helps prisoners make more positive choices and reduces the burden of reoffending on our communities.”