Safety fears grow after prison staff find huge haul of cocaine thrown over wall in UK nick
Package of contraband also contained six bags of cannabis, five Zanco mobiles and chargers
A HUGE haul of cocaine was found after being thrown over the walls of a jail.
Staff at Risley prison in Cheshire discovered 120 capsules of the addictive drug.
The haul - one of the largest of cocaine found in a UK jail – was hidden in a parcel.
It had been thrown over the perimeter fence at the category C prison near Warrington.
Officers on a routine patrol found the parcel near to Echo wing at the prison.
It also contained six bags of cannabis, five Zanco mobiles and chargers.
A source said: “That amount of cocaine in a jail would have caused carnage.
“It had obviously been ordered in and would have been worth tens of thousands behind bars.
“The impact of cocaine use on the prison population would have been immediate.
“Safety of staff and other inmates would have been at risk.”
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The parcel was found just after midnight on January 28th.
Staff believe it was thrown over to be picked up by an inmate.
Glyn Travis of the Prison Officers Association said: “The task of stopping smuggling is never ending.
“Thanks to the professionalism of staff, a huge haul of cocaine has been prevented from coming into a jail.
“Cocaine has been linked to increased hostility and anger, which is lethal in a prison environment.
“Unfortunately, with fewer staff, stopping contraband is getting harder.
“We need more staff now.”
Cocaine causes a short-lived, intense high that is immediately followed by the opposite—intense depression, edginess and a craving for more of the drug.
The Zanco Fly mobile, which can be bought from Amazon, is tiny with a 0.66-inch screen.
It is easily concealed - with some lags known to put them up their bums.
Risley is a category C jail with room for 1,095.