A MAN who hid £10,000 of drugs in the toilet U-bend of a prison cell has been jailed for three years and nine months.

Wayne Thomas, 36, was responsible for more than £10,000 of drugs, including cocaine, heroin and ketamine, in HMP Berwyn in Wrexham.

Thomas, from Warrington, was supplying the haul to fellow inmates.

The prosecution told Mold Crown Court on Thursday that Thomas hid drugs in the toilet u-bend of the cell belonging to another inmate at the North Wales prison before he was allowed on day release with his family in November 2018.

The court heard he was hoping another inmate would then take the blame if the drugs were discovered by prison staff.

The drugs were found hidden in two plastic eggs and a bottle and had been hidden in a towel.

More was found in the bed in the cell.

The court heard the contraband had a value of around £10,000 in prison worth a ‘considerable financial gain’ for Thomas.

After police got involved, the other inmate told officers Thomas, who has similar offences dating back to 2016, was seen in his cell and was spotted hiding the package in the toilet pipe.

Sarah Griffiths, defending, argued Thomas was unable to find work after a prison stint for burglary in 2013 and began working for a ‘gang of Scousers’ selling drugs for them and earning up to £4,500 a day.

She said that Thomas’ situation worsened when this gang asked him to take on ‘jobs’ from inside prison including collecting parcels.

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She argued that Thomas had made an early indication of a guilty plea in the magistrates court and that his mental health had been stressed at the prospect of being resent to prison.

She said that going back to a prison environment may cause him to feel pressured into holding drugs for people and ending up in a repeat situation.

In summing up, Judge Rhys Rowlands, said the harm caused to the safety and wellbeing of prisoners and staff  by these kinds of drugs are ‘significantly undermining’ and says that the courts will do everything in its power to stop this.

He said: “Drugs of this nature are considered to be a valuable currency in our prisons and that is why this court will do all it can to punish those that seek to make financial gain from this activity.”