‘Porridge gang outwitted prison with drones and bogus legal papers’
A GANG of smugglers likened to the characters of TV comedy Porridge flew drugs into prisons on drones and hid illicit goods inside parcels of bogus legal papers, a court has heard.
Gary Grannells, 29, Steven Stocker, 48, and his nephew, Steven McMonagle-Stocker, 35, were “literally the inside men” during the three-year operation, it is claimed.
Grannells is accused of working with his mother, dinner lady Amanda Grannells, 55, to sneak drugs and mobile phones past prison guards.
Carmen Leon, 46, and Mary Proctor, 34, former partners of the Stockers, are also accused of being involved in the plot to smuggle cannabis and synthetic drug spice into Wandsworth, Pentonville and Wormwood Scrubs jails. Prosecutor Martyn Bowyer told Blackfriars crown court that the three men acted as “brokers” in prisons between 2013 and 2017. He said the gang used drones to fly drugs to a cell window, passed on goods during prison visits, or hid them in fake legal papers.
“To some of us, the portrayal by Ronnie Barker of Norman Stanley Fletcher in the classic comedy show Porridge may well have coloured our view of what life inside her majesty’s prisons is like,” he said. “Fletch and his friends outwitted the authorities in an attempt to make life more bearable They were portrayed as being lovable rogues, but sadly, in 2018 the reality is different.”
Mr Bowyer said that while Fletcher might “brew illicit hooch”, modern prisons were plagued by drugs. “Drugs of all different types find their way into our prisons, and in this case it is cannabis and spice,” he told jurors.
He said Stocker, Grannells, and McMonagle-Stocker took orders for illicit goods from inmates and claimed that Amanda Grannells had £80,000 in the bank when arrested last year.
The court heard that police found cannabis and two drones at her home, while an inkpad, stamp and legal papers were found in Proctor’s home. Mr Bowyer said Proctor is suspected of sending 23g of spice to Stocker in June 2016 in an envelope of legal papers. Amanda Grannells, Steven Stocker, both from Shepherd’s Bush, Gary Grannells, Steven McMonagle-Stocker, both of no fixed address, Mary Proctor, of Parsons Green, and Carmen Leon, from Barnes, each deny two charges of conspiracy to supply class B drugs, supply a psychoactive substance and convey articles into prison.
Gary Grannells also denies unauthorised possession of a specified article in prison and possession of class B drugs with intent. Amanda Grannells denies unauthorised transmission of images and sounds from within a prison, possession of class B drugs with intent and a money laundering charge. Proctor also denies a money laundering charge.
McMonagle-Stocker, Stocker, Proctor and Leon have all admitted unauthorised transmissions from a prison.
The trial continues.