The Department of Home Affairs says it will continue to take a hard line against any attempt to smuggle drugs into the Isle of Man prison.

Bob McColm, Head of the Prison and Probation Service, has stressed that anybody caught breaking the law will be prosecuted. He made his comments after a local man was jailed for four years and four months for supplying a Class A drug to a prisoner during a visit.

Mr McColm said he hoped the custodial sentence would act as a deterrent.

He added: ‘Any attempt to smuggle controlled substances into the prison environment will simply not be tolerated and will result in criminal charges being brought. We take a very robust stance against this sort of behaviour and will continue to work hard in a bid to keep drugs out of the prison. I am delighted to note the vigilance of prison staff on this occasion.’

As well as frequent sweeps of the prison and grounds, prison officers regularly search prisoners and cells, while visitors are checked by sniffer dogs trained to detect illegal substances. The visits room is also monitored continuously using CCTV.

Home Affairs Minister Juan Watterson MHK said: ‘The presence of drugs or alcohol in prison represents a threat to good order and discipline and undermines the work that takes place to rehabilitate offenders and safeguard the local community. The Department also has a duty to protect prison officers from the dangers posed by the use of controlled substances by prisoners and will continue to promote a zero tolerance approach.’

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