蜜芽传媒

As Mobeen鈥檚 investigation deepens, it becomes clearer that illicit relationships between prisoners and jail staff are just the tip of the iceberg. The bigger story involves organised criminal gangs determined to cash in on a lucrative prison drug economy.

When news breaks of a prison governor being jailed for a relationship with a drug-dealing gang boss, Mobeen becomes determined to uncover the true extent of criminal influence inside our prisons.

His investigation leads him to Manchester, where he meets a gang of drug dealers who explain how drugs and money are reshaping the power dynamics inside. The group, many of whom have served time themselves, describe how the so-called zombie drug spice is the most powerful currency in jail. They explain how it gives them control over addicted prisoners who will do anything for a fix, from cleaning cell floors to carrying out revenge attacks. More disturbing is that many prison officers appear willing to turn a blind eye to what is happening.

Mobeen gains further insight into this toxic prison officer culture when he meets Rachel, a former officer who left her job at HMP Wandsworth after being bullied by colleagues for speaking out against inappropriate behaviour. Isolated and fearful for her own safety, Rachel found herself in a position that could have left her vulnerable to the same kind of corruption facing so many of her peers.

Digging deeper into the drug economy driving this crisis, Mobeen meets gang members who produce spice. They believe that smuggling drugs into prisons is easy and that the sky鈥檚 the limit when it comes to pricing. Like any illicit market, contraband is all about supply and demand. Prisons are the perfect marketplace, full of addicts desperate to escape their reality.

This leads Mobeen to HMP Parc in Wales. Here, grieving families protest after loved ones died inside, blaming staff for smuggling in drugs and failing to protect vulnerable inmates. One family describes how their son took his own life after building up a drug debt behind bars.

Mark Fairhurst, national chairman of the Prison Officers Association, is well aware of the pressures facing frontline staff in such a volatile environment. He cites staff shortages, poor vetting and inadequate training as reasons the system is on the brink of collapse. While he acknowledges corruption as a major issue, he explains to Mobeen that prisons also face another threat: criminals using drones to fly contraband over jail walls.

This brings Mobeen to a gang of drug dealers that specialises in drone drops. They spend their evenings preparing packages and flying drugs, phones and other contraband over prison walls directly into the hands of inmate dealers. As they prepare their next batch, Mobeen hears how they charge thousands per drop and make several flights a night.

The danger officers face becomes clear when Mobeen learns of the rising violence against staff. It begins with prison officers' cars being firebombed outside HMP Edinburgh and ends in tragedy with the murder of Lenny Scott, a former officer killed in an act of revenge after his role in uncovering an illicit relationship between a prisoner and a guard.