Drugs ‘fell out’ of gran in jail search
A GRANDMOTHER who was caught trying to smuggle drugs into prison believed the package contained just tobacco, a court has heard.
A wrap containing more than 100 pills along with a quantity of heroin “fell out” of Denise Saunders’s body when she was strip searched going into Bridgend’s Parc Prison.
A judge told the 60-yearold she had been “extremely naive” in agreeing to carrying the stash but said he would not be jailing her because the prosecution had taken so long bringing the case to court.
Cardiff Crown Court heard that on the evening of May 1, 2019, Saunders – who also goes by the name Denise Jones – attended HMP Parc to visit a friend.
Marian Lewis, prosecuting, said the defendant was subject to a strip search, and as staff carried out the procedure “a wrap of controlled substances fell from her body”.
Police were called and Saunders was arrested her cautioned reply was “Why have I been so stupid?”.
In her subsequent interview the defendant said a friend had arranged a lift from the Swansea Valley to the prison for her with a man called Glynn or Gwyn, and the driver had asked her to take the package into the prison and give it to the person she was visiting.
The court heard the package contained one gram of heroin, along with 40 buprenorphine tablets – a powerful pain killer used in treating heroin addiction – and a total of 95 alprazolam and clonazepam tranquilizer pills.
The value of the drugs behind bars was estimated to be more than £2,800, roughly four times what they would be worth on the streets.
Saunders, of Tanygarth, Abercrave, had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of conveying specified articles into prison on a basis that she believed the package contained only tobacco and cigarette papers when she appeared in the dock for sentencing.
The court heard she has 20 previous convictions for 42 offences from 1976 to 2008 including for burglary, assaulting police, dishonesty matters, and possession of cannabis.
Julia Cox, for Saunders, said the defendant had voluntarily taken steps to address her substance dependency issues, and worked hard to remove herself from the criminality of her past – something which would be put at risk if she were to be sent into custody. She said her client recognised she had been “stupid” to do what she did. The barrister added that there was “no explanation” for the near two-year delay in the matter coming to court.
Recorder IWL Jones told Saunders she had been “extremely naive” in believing the package had contained only tobacco.
He said those who tried to carry Class A drugs into prison could ordinarily expect immediate custody but given her guilty pleas and the length of time taken to prosecute the matter he was prepared to suspend the term.
He said: “You are extremely lucky. The message should really go out that the state has taken so long to bring you to court.”
Giving the defendant a one-third discount for her pleas, the recorder sentenced her to a total of eight months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and ordered her to abide by a nightly curfew for four months and to complete a rehabilitation course and an alcohol treatment programme.