Dead rats used to smuggle Spice, cannabis and mobile phones into Dorset prison – National

Staff on patrol discovered the three rodents just inside the perimeter fence at HMP Guys Marsh in Dorset.

After finding the rats, the officers noticed they appeared to have been stitched along their stomachs.

They opened them up to find the rats had been disembowelled and their innards replaced by five mobile phones and chargers, three sim cards, cigarette papers and a large amount of drugs including spice, cannabis and tobacco.

Intelligence suggests the rats were thrown over the prison fence by organised criminals, who coordinated with an offender on the inside who was waiting to collect them.

They were then to be sold throughout the prison, leaving chaos and violence in their wake, the Ministry of Justice has said. 

Rory Stewart said: ‘This find shows the extraordinary lengths to which criminals will go to smuggle drugs into prison, and underlines why our work to improve security is so important.

‘Drugs and mobile phones behind bars put prisoners, prison officers and the public at risk.

‘By toughening security and searching, we can ensure prisons are places of rehabilitation that will prevent further reoffending and keep the public safe.’ 

It is the first recorded time rats have been used in this way, although criminals have been known to use tennis balls and pigeons to bring contraband into prisons. The prison service is working with the police to find and prosecute those involved.

The find comes during a multi-million-pound drive to improve security and safety in the prison estate.

This includes £16 million to improve conditions for prisoners and staff and £7 million on new security measures, such as scanners, improved searching techniques, phone-blocking technology and a financial crime unit to target the criminal kingpins operating in prisons.