Pair sentenced for smuggling drugs and mobile phones into Portland prison

Lee Aaron Carr, aged 36, of Dorchester and Warren Anderson, 34, of no fixed abode were sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on 7 July, for attempting to smuggle drugs and mobile phones into Portland Prison.

Carr was jailed for five years and seven months for offences of possessing a class A and class B drug, bringing, throwing or otherwise conveying prohibited articles into a prison and two charges of possessing a class A drug with intent to supply.

Anderson was sentenced to 18 months in prison for bringing, throwing or otherwise conveying prohibited articles into a prison and possessing a psychoactive drug with intent to supply.

He was serving an 876-day sentence for burglary and theft at the time of the offence and the 18-month sentence will run consecutive to his existing jail term.

At around 11.30am on 22 December 2016 Anderson was challenged by prison staff after he was seen to go around the back of a workshop building.

Anderson handed over a mobile phone and a package from his waistband.

The package was found to contain three wraps of spice, weighing 76.3 grams, 1.82g of cannabis resin and 708 milligrams of herbal cannabis as well as another mobile phone.

A further quantity of the psychoactive drug spice was found in his possession following a strip search.

At around the same time police received a report from prison staff of two people, including a man wearing a rucksack, acting suspiciously outside the prison perimeter.

The pair were searched by officers and Carr was found to have a large plastic package in his waistband.

It was found to contain two wraps of heroin, crack cocaine, herbal cannabis and cannabis resin as well as three small mobile phones with chargers.

A 40-year-old woman who was charged with three counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs and two counts of taking prohibited items into a prison was found not guilty of the offences following a trial.

Inspector Tony Burden, of Dorset Police, said: “Smuggling prohibited items into prison causes significant issues for prison staff who are working in difficult circumstances to maintain order in our county’s jails.

“We will always work closely with the Prison Service to investigate these kind of offences and I hope this sentence sends out a message that they will be dealt with robustly.”