 A new report lays bare the drugs 'crisis' that has led to five deaths at a Hertfordshire prison in the past year. Overdoses have become an 'everyday event' at HMP The Mount, as a dangerous version of spice laced with the opioid fentanyl spreads among the prisoners. The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) highlighted the issue in their report – which also raises concerns about drone deliveries of substances amid a 'historically high' death count. Staff have also been accused of trafficking illicit items into the facility, with an anti-corruption unit recently being set up to deal with the problem. The report, which covers the period from the beginning of March 2022 to the end of February this year, says: 'Five prisoners apparently died from accidental drug overdoses. 'The Mount has been plagued by a particularly noxious form of Spice, where the base of synthetic cannabis has been mixed with other substances, including Fentanyl.' It later says: 'The deaths from drug abuse, shocking though they are, are only the tip of the iceberg, with Code Blues, where a prisoner falls unconscious and struggles to breathe, being an everyday event.' Many of the substances make their way into The Mount by drones, which can be directed to individual cell windows using mobile phones. Prisoners can then lever out the glass and receive the packages, the report said. The report says an anti-corruption unit was recently set up at The Mount after it was discovered that 'the majority of illicit items are trafficked by staff and visitors' (Picture: PA) Alternatively, some are delivered using 'throwovers': easily thrown items with drugs stuffed inside. Tennis balls, fruit and pipes have all been discovered on the grounds of the prison despite the barriers that surround them. The unusual location of The Mount, surrounded by a housing estate, a disused airfield and ITV Studios Bovin){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
A new report lays bare the drugs ‘crisis’ that has led to five deaths at a Hertfordshire prison in the past year.
Overdoses have become an ‘everyday event’ at HMP The Mount, as a dangerous version of spice laced with the opioid fentanyl spreads among the prisoners.
The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) highlighted the issue in their report – which also raises concerns about drone deliveries of substances amid a ‘historically high’ death count.
Staff have also been accused of trafficking illicit items into the facility, with an anti-corruption unit recently being set up to deal with the problem.