Two jailed for plot to smuggle spice into prisons in solicitors' letters

Shay Bradshaw and Rachael Stewart were both jailed for their parts in the conspiracy

Two people have been jailed for plotting to flood UK prisons with spice disguised in solicitors' letters.

Shay Bradshaw and Rachael Stewart, along with her son Kian Stewart, sent the drugs between July 2017 and May 2020, Lincoln Crown Court heard.

All three pleaded guilty to conspiracy to convey List A articles into prisons and conspiracy to supply Class B drugs.

Bradshaw and Rachael Stewart were jailed, with Kian Stewart given a community order.

Bradshaw was jailed for six years and nine months, and Rachael Stewart for three years and four months.

Police said Bradshaw, 30, of Ollis Close, Corby, took a "leading role" in the enterprise, which targeted 26 prisons, while Stewart, 41, of Stirling Close, Grantham, played a "significant" role.

Kian Stewart, 22, also of Stirling Court, Grantham, was given a 12-month community order with 20 days of rehabilitation activity and 150 hours of unpaid work.

A fake stamp used by the plotters

On Tuesday, Lincoln Crown Court heard the plot was thwarted by the Prison Service's Serious and Organised Crime Unit.

Legal documents - known as "Rule 39a mail" - carry extra privileges compared with regular post sent to prisons.

Found at Rachael Stewart's address was a significant quantity of spice and items required to produce paper laced with the drug.

Bogus ink stamps for solicitors' firms and a fake "Rule 39a" stamp were also recovered, officers said.

'Misery and violence'

After sentencing, Det Ch Supt Carl Galvin, head of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit, said the aim of the "sophisticated" plot was to "flood the wings of a number of prisons with psychoactive substances".

He added: "Prisons should be places of safety where inmates can get help and support in respect of addiction. We will not stand for this type of abuse."

As a result of the case, the Prison Service has introduced new procedures to prevent the exploitation of Rule 39a letters.

Prisons Minister Damian Hinds said spice and other illicit substances "cause great misery and violence in our prisons".

He added: "We must always ensure the callous greed of the gangs responsible is met with the full force of the law."

Mr Hinds said 75 advanced X-ray scanners - purchased as part of a £100m investment to bolster security in prisons - had recorded 28,000 positive scans, preventing drugs and mobile phones from entering prisons.