14 jailed after investigation into Parc Prison drugs network

Fourteen people have been jailed for a total of 36 years after a probe into the supply of drugs into a prison.

The operation was launched after a grandmother was caught attempting to give drugs to her son on a visit to Bridgend's Parc Prison in 2015.

Seven men and seven women, from Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea and Birmingham, were jailed at Cardiff Crown Court following a two-year South Wales Police inquiry.

The "complex" case involved examining bank accounts and mobile phone bills.

The investigation began on Christmas Eve in 2015 when officers at Parc Prison seized seven subutex (painkilling) tablets from 56-year-old Susan Hynes who was trying to pass them to her son Nathan Hynes during a visit.

Police officers arrested Hynes, of Merthyr, and seized her mobile phone, which had text messages making reference to supplying drugs into prisons and bank account transactions linked to serving prisoners.

She admitted conspiracy to supply class C drugs, and possession of amphetamine and was sentenced to 16 months.

Her son Nathan admitted conspiracy to supply class C drug was sentenced to 20 months.

It led officers to a string of other people, including Hynes' other son Craig, Emma Whatmore and Jodie Powell, all from Merthyr.

They all admitted conspiracy to supply class C drugs and were sentenced to 12 months imprisonment.

Further analysis of mobile phones and bank statements resulted in the arrests of Debbie Cullen and Carly Stead, from Swansea, and Nicholas Bradbeer and Jamie Fewtrell, both of Merthyr, who were all receiving payments from inmates at Parc Prison.

They all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to convert criminal property and handed prison sentences ranging from 18 weeks to two years. Bradbeer also admitted possession of subutex and heroin.

Officers uncovered credits worth more than £100,000 over four years being paid into three bank accounts held by Tara Gaskin, of Birmingham.

She denied conspiracy to convert criminal property but was found guilty and sentenced to two-and-a-half years.

Her son John Blakeney, and his partner Christina Sperin, were implicated and a search of Sperin's address found £32,000 worth of cocaine, a digital scales and a drugs 'tick list'.

Blakeney admitted possession with the intent to supply cocaine and conspiracy to convert criminal property and was sentenced to 10 years.

Sperin denied conspiracy to convert criminal property but was found guilty and sentenced to two-and-a-half years.

A financial investigation of Blakeney and Sperin led police to John Gluyas, of Swansea, who was serving a prison sentence in Parc Prison.

More than £32,000 in cash was recovered during a search from a bedroom of a property linked to him in the Fforestfach area of the city.

John Gluyas admitted conspiracy to convert criminal property and sentenced to six-and-a-half years.

A cash point receipt in a sock identified Christian Nicholas, of Swansea, who was convicted in February 2016 of throwing a bottle containing the drug spice into the grounds of Parc Prison.

Nicholas admitted conspiracy to convert criminal property and was sentenced to five years.

Police discovered that Gluyas, who was already serving a sentence for conspiracy to supply drugs, continued to orchestrate deals into and out of prison, making large amounts of money from drugs such as spice and subutex.

He admitted to conspiracy to convert criminal property and was sentenced to six-and-a-half years.

A search of his cell uncovered a drugs 'tick list' which revealed he was involved in the supply of steroids, subutex and mobile phones into prison. The list represented monetary values into the tens of thousands of pounds.

"Today's verdicts send a strong message to those who would seek to disrupt the prison's regime by attempting to bring contraband into Parc that they risk facing prison time themselves," said Janet Wallsgrove, director for HMP Parc.