Prison guard involved in smuggling drugs into jail

Four individuals, including a prison officer, have received prison sentences for plotting to bring drugs and tobacco into a correctional facility. Carla Moskot-Brettell, a custody officer at HMP Hewell in Worcestershire, worked with her partner, Darren Oakes, to deliver prohibited items to HMP Birmingham, where Oakes was serving time, according to Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Moskot-Brettell also collaborated with Louise Docker and Patricia Bucknell to wrap cannabis in cling film, which was then transferred to Oakes during prison social visits, West Midlands Police reported.

All four defendants admitted their involvement and were sentenced on 28 November. The smuggled packages were coated with spices to mask their scent and evade detection by sniffer dogs.

Once inside the prison, the items were hidden in food orders and ingested by Oakes, who later regurgitated them in his cell to reclaim the substances for later use.

The prison sentences were as follows:

• Carla Moskot-Brettell, 35 three years and nine months
• Darren Oakes, 47 three years and nine months
• Louise Docker, 42 two years and three months
• Patricia Bucknell, 51 two years and three months

Detective Constable Adam McHugh stated, "Moskot-Brettell exploited her role as a prison officer to engage in illegal activity that introduced contraband into the very facility she was employed to protect. Her actions, alongside her co-conspirators, undermine public confidence and have resulted in custodial sentences."

Author: Sophia Brooks