Prison worker caught hiding drugs in toilets jailed

Two police officers found Jones and Wimbleton smoking cannabis together in a car

A woman who left packages of drugs in the toilets of the prison where she worked has been jailed.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said Farrah Jones, 28, was jailed for four years for trying to smuggle cannabis into Forest Bank Prison, Salford.

It said Steven Wimbleton, 30, who was with Jones in a car searched by police shortly after she left work, has been jailed for five years for possessing a gun and ammunition.

Both admitted their offences at an earlier hearing in Manchester Crown Court.

GMP said two packages containing cannabis and ketamine were found after officers searched toilets which Jones had been seen leaving at about 13:30 GMT on 30 November 2023.

It said hours later, two officers on patrol in Little Hulton smelled cannabis coming from a car parked close by and found agency worker Jones, of Spa Crescent in Little Hulton, and Wimbleton, of Shillingten Close in Little Hulton, inside.

Police found a number of packages of drugs, some of which were wrapped in plastic

A subsequent search revealed packages containing tablets, cannabis resin, mobile phones and syringes, some of which were vacuum packed.

A lock-knife and a bag of white powder were also discovered, before a further search found a pistol loaded with one round of ammunition.

The force said subsequent house searches saw officers uncover further drugs paraphernalia and seize thousands of pounds in cash.

Speaking after sentencing, Det Con Steven Walker said attempting to bring drugs into a prison was "a grave offence".

He said that while drugs caused "their own issues", a firearm was "an incredibly deadly weapon and can cause untold hurt and misery when in the wrong hands".

"I am glad we were able to get both an illegal weapon and numerous drugs off the streets of Salford," he added.