Home / Crime and Justice / Jailed Inmates Ran Drug Network From Prison Cells
Jailed Inmates Ran Drug Network From Prison Cells
4 Mar
Summary
- Prison inmates orchestrated drug imports and street sales from their cells.
- A drone delivery attempt led to the capture of key members of the network.
- Fentanyl, a highly potent opioid, was part of the imported substances.
Two career criminals, Daniel Yeboah and Shaun Lau, have been sentenced to 20 years each for directing extensive drug operations from behind bars. They managed to control drug markets in Nottinghamshire, arranging for cocaine and deadly fentanyl to be imported. Yeboah paid a great-grandmother to receive a cocaine delivery disguised as cookies.
Lau employed street dealers and also smuggled drugs and phones into his own prison for resale. The operation unraveled when accomplices Hayley Price and her daughter Kaci-Leigh Stones were caught with cannabis and drone parts after a drone crashed near HMP Parc in Bridgend. Messages from their phones linked them to Lau, described as 'the boss'.
Searches revealed drugs like heroin, cocaine, and MDMA at Price's home. Nottinghamshire Police described the network as a 'wholesale control hub.' The potential introduction of fentanyl, a potent opioid up to 50 times stronger than heroin, raised serious concerns due to its high fatality rate, especially when mixed with existing low-quality heroin.
Both Yeboah and Lau continued their dealing activities even after being released from custody during the investigation. They were ultimately arrested in March of the previous year. The scale of their enterprise was described as vast, with prosecutors highlighting the 'shameful' ease with which prisoners could access illicit phones and operate drug markets as lucrative businesses.
