Prison drug networks are put in Government sights

A CRACKDOWN on crime lords who run their criminal networks from inside a prison cell is to be launched by Justice Secretary David Gauke.

It follows warnings that chaos inside prisons, including HMP Northumberland, is a result of an out-of-control trade in drugs among inmates.

A new prison service financial crime unit will track illicit bank transactions and freeze accounts to stop drug dealers in prison moving money around.

The aim is to stop drug “kingpins” who ply their trade inside jails.

Speaking at the Conservative conference in Birmingham this week, Mr Gauke said: “My message to kingpins is this: we are already blocking your phones and putting you in isolation and now we will make sure you can’t access your money.

“Dealing drugs in prison will no longer be profitable because we will find your assets and we will seize them.”

Meanwhile, Home Secretary Sajid Javid will warn he is targeting middle-class drug users.

It’s been claimed that ‘whitecollar’ drug users are funding violent gangs based in workingclass

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neighbourhoods which suffer the violence associated with the drugs trade.

Mr Javid will say that to ensure law enforcement agencies and public policy are targeting and preventing violent crime effectively, a review will look at drug use among professionals. He said: “I am committed to ending the scourge of violent crime and will combat this issue using all the tools at the Government’s disposal.”

“We will not only deal with crime when it happens but will go further and strengthen our ability to target and prevent the root causes of criminal behaviour from finding the evidence, ensuring our services are working together and providing the right resources to the right places.”