Officer alleged to have taken drugs into prison

A PROBATION officer is under investigation for allegedly smuggling the dangerous drug spice into a prison which has seen a series of sudden deaths.

The prisons watchdog believes at least four of the six sudden inmate deaths at Bridgend’s HMP Parc since February 27 are drug-related.

A source said a worker was caught bringing a Class B substance into Parc on March 18, which is after at least three of the deaths occurred.

G4S, the private security firm that runs the jail, says the officer under investigation is from the probation service and not employed by the prison itself. The Ministry of Justice, which runs the probation service, and South Wales Police have been approached for comment.

Six prisoners at Bridgend’s HMP Parc died suddenly between February 27 and March 19. South Wales Police is treating two of the recent deaths as non-suspicious but believes the other four to be drug-related.

The Prison and Probation Ombudsman has named three of the six Parc inmates who died.

They are Christopher Stokes, who died on March 9, and John Rose and Jason Hussey, who died on February 27.

The ombudsman Adrian Usher said last Thursday: “Yesterday we said that we are not making any assumptions as to whether there is a link between these deaths. However, after initial inquiries, we now believe at least four out of the six deaths are drug-related.

“These deaths likely involve spice (a psychoactive substance) mixed with another family of drugs.

“There has been a national public health warning issued about this particular drug, the name of which is yet to be determined, but we believe that at least two of the deceased at HMP Parc had taken this substance.

“We urge all prisoners who are in possession of spice to dispose of it immediately. This is a dangerous drug and we do not want to see any more unnecessary deaths occur. Friends, family, next of kin, and staff in prison – please share this message as wide and as quickly as possible.”

Spice, sometimes called the “zombie drug”, can leave users contorted in unnatural positions for hours.

It is a Class B substance designed to mimic the effects of cannabis.

South Wales Police said in 2021 that it regularly dealt with concerns over the drug. Sometimes users are violent while sometimes “they appear to be in a comatose state”, a force spokeswoman said at the time.

The ombudsman is investigating 20 deaths at Parc since January 2022 including the six since February 27 this year.

Mr Usher said the names of other prisoners to have recently died at the prison will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

A G4S spokeswoman said: “Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the prisoners who have died recently at Parc. We have a comprehensive drugs strategy and are working tirelessly to reduce supply and demand in the prison.

“This includes robust security measures, working with the police, and engaging substance misuse service providers and health partners to support those in our care.

“We welcome the Prison and Probation Ombudsman warning of the dangers of psychoactive drugs.”

South Wales Police said they had received reports of six sudden deaths that have occurred at HM Prison Parc in Bridgend since February 27.

A spokesman said two of the deaths were being treated as non-suspicious with the four remaining deaths believed to be drug-related.

Detective Steve Jones said: “At this stage we cannot confirm that the four deaths are connected to any specific drug however a fast-track process has been undertaken and identified the presence of Nitazene based substances in connection with all four deaths.

“Spice has been identified in two of the four deaths. “