A female prisoner officer who tried to smuggle drugs into a jail inside a Pot Noodle container is among 10 people jailed for a criminal drugs conspiracy.
The plot to smuggle drugs into Lindholme Prison near Doncaster, South Yorks was smashed when police found the drugs in the snackpot belonging to Prison officer Victoria Sked.
Sked, now 32, was arrested and a six year probe into the smuggling ring launched by South Yorkshire Police.
Police found that drugs including MDMA, steroids, cannabis, and spice were smuggled in as well as mobile phones with the help of the bent officer.
The criminal network was unravelled after officers searched Sked, and found a Pot Noodle with two cling film packages of cannabis inside on August 20, 2018.
Sked was arrested the same day.
Further searches found the then 26-year-old had even more of the class B drug, as well as MDMA, steroids, mobile phones, tobacco, and a phone SIM card.
Her home was then searched, where police found 17 mobile phones, five wraps of cannabis, and more than £7,900 in cash.
Officers also found 332 sheets of paper soaked with the spice, to be smoked, in her home.
Investigators then uncovered further evidence linking others to the smuggling network, including four former inmates.
A total of seven of the 11 convicted were also found guilty of money laundering.
Prisoner Jack McGlen ran the drug selling operation inside the prison with help from his partner Alicia Harrison, who was helping him from the outside.
A total of 10 of the 11 defendants were sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday, December 6.
The smugglers were sentenced to a combined total of 25 years and five months in prison.
Those sentenced were:
Victoria Sked, 32, was jailed for three years and 11 months for drug smuggling, money laundering, and smuggling mobile phones and SIM cards into prison.
Gareth Roberts, 38, was jailed for three-and-a-half years for drug smuggling and possession of a prohibited article while he was a prison inmate.
Robert Williams, 35, was jailed for one year and 10 months for drug smuggling and possession of a mobile phone while he was a prison inmate.
Simie McGinley, 30, was jailed for one-and-a-half years for smuggling cannabis, spice, steroids, mobile phones and SIM cards into prison and money laundering.
McGinley’s partner Ayesha Martin, 30, was jailed for three-and-a-half years for money laundering and smuggling drugs, mobile phones and SIM cards into prison.
Jack McGlen, 33, was jailed for four years for drug smuggling, money laundering, and possession of a mobile phone while an inmate.
McGlen’s partner Alicia Harrison, 27, was given a 21-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months for smuggling steroids and money laundering.
Darren Morgan, 45, was jailed for four years and 10 months for smuggling spice, money laundering and possession of diamorphine and cocaine with intent to supply.
Adam Kirk, 34, was jailed for two years and four months for smuggling cannabis, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, without insurance and while over the specified limit for drugs.
Abigail Carter, 24, was given a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, for smuggling cannabis and money laundering.
Diane Monks, 46, of Highfield Villas, Leeds, also pleaded guilty to smuggling cannabis and spice. She will be sentenced on Friday, December 13.
DC Scott Jarvis of South Yorkshire Police said: “They all played their part in creating this elaborate web of drug smuggling and money laundering that they thought was intangible.
“It is thanks to the hard work of this unit in bringing the conspirators of these crimes to justice.”
Prisons minister Lord James Timpson said: “We inherited prisons where drug-taking is rife, fuelled by the work of organised criminal gangs.
“If our prisons are to create better citizens and not better criminals, we must bear down on the illicit drugs trade.
“I would like to thank the police for their work, alongside the prison service’s Counter Corruption Unit, in bringing this gang to justice.
“While the overwhelming majority of our staff are brave and decent public servants, we work alongside the police to catch the minority who are not.”
