Prison smugglers threw phones and drugs over walls

A gang smuggled drugs, phones and other contraband into HMP Lewes by throwing packages over the walls.

Jay Lindo, 31, of Wells Park Road in London and Fatimaalzhra Yousif, 23, were found guilty of conspiracy to bring items into the East Sussex prison after a trial at Hove Crown Court.

Sussex Police said it had begun its operation against the gang after multiple parcels containing illegal items were thrown into the prison in 2023.

Co-defendant Yannan Reid, 27, who was serving a sentence in the prison at the time, admitted conspiring to bring items in and possessing an unauthorised item.

Yousif, his girlfriend, was also found guilty of conspiring to possess criminal property.

Police said they arrested Yousif in September 2023 while she visited Reid after her DNA was found on several packages thrown into the prison.

Officers had also found evidence of ongoing communication between Yousif, Reid and fellow member of the gang Jahmal Swaby, 27, of Conduit Way in London.

Swaby admitted conspiracy to bring banned items into prison following, according to police, his arrest at Lewes railway station in April 2023, moments after police intercepted thrown parcels containing drugs.

Officers said Lindo was arrested the month before after an Audi was stopped near the prison with carrier bags in the boot.

The bags contained cannabis and phones, according to police, and were "suspected to be packaged for throwing into the prison".

The court heard the operation was "highly lucrative" as inmates would pay a premium for banned items.

Chukuemeka Anumnne, 30, of Dundas Road in London, was arrested alongside Lindo after the vehicle was stopped.

He was found not guilty of possessing a knife in public at trial and jurors could not reach a verdict on charges of conspiracy to bring banned items into prison.

Lindo, Yousif, Reid and Swaby are due to be sentenced in August.

Sussex Police said its officers had made 15 arrests during its operation targeting parcels thrown into HMP Lewes and incidents had "significantly reduced".

Sgt Dan Thomson said the harm caused by drugs was "well known" and phones were used to organise further crimes and intimidate victims.

"These items also put prison officers' safety at risk, fuel violence inside our prisons, and undermine efforts to rehabilitate offenders," he said.

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