A woman who worked as a mental health nursing assistant at a UK prison has been jailed for over 10 years for smuggling and distributing drugs to prisoners. Amy Hatfield was involved in a sophisticated smuggling ring that provided prisoners with almost any drug they wanted while in custody at HMP Lindholme in South Yorkshire. The smuggling operation was highly organised and involved numerous individuals, including inmates, family members and friends who smuggled drugs of different types including heroin, cannabis, spice, MDMA, and ketamine into the prison.
According to Sheffield Crown Court, Hatfield was recruited by an inmate, Joseph Whittingham, who was jailed for more than 11 years. Whittingham and other inmates used prison drug dealers to orchestrate the shipment of drugs into the jail. The group also facilitated the smuggle of other items such as mobile phones, prescription drugs, and knives. The profits from the operation were laundered outside the prison.
Hatfield was arrested after she was stopped by authorities when entering the jail carrying drugs with an estimated value of £1m. Upon questioning, she admitted to smuggling drugs and several other items into the prison. She had also been placed under surveillance by anti-corruption detectives after a tip-off suggested that she was having a sexual relationship with Whittingham while he was in prison.
The drugs were sold for up to 10 times their value, and their influx into the jail led to an increase in drug usage among prisoners. Hatfield was sentenced to 10 years and two months in prison while Whittingham received an 11-year and four-month sentence. The remaining members of the gang will be sentenced later on Friday
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