Smuggling officer at Addiewell Prison in West Lothian was paid £500

By JOHN ROBERTSON
Published on 21/07/2012 01:01

A PRISON officer was paid £500 a time to smuggle drugs worth thousands of pounds and mobile phones into the jail where he worked, a court has heard.

Garry McDonald, 33, was caught when a sniffer dog reacted in a search before he started his shift at the privately-run Addiewell Prison in West Lothian.

He claimed he had been put under duress by an inmate, but police found a text message he had sent to the prisoner, asking: “How can I make 40k quite quick.”

McDonald, of Falkirk, admitted being concerned in the supplying of heroin, cocaine, 
diazepam and cannabis at the prison between July and September last year, and to 
taking prohibited articles, mobile phones, into the prison. He was remanded in custody to be sentenced next month.

The High Court in Edinburgh was told that McDonald arrived late for work on 21 September and told a senior officer he had overslept. He joined two visitors for a routine search, and a sniffer dog gave a positive indication by sitting down and pointing its nose at him.

McDonald made to leave the room and a package fell from his groin area. It was seen to be a mobile phone wrapped in cling film. He admitted bringing it into the prison for a prisoner.

“He confirmed that on occasions he had brought in parcels and been paid £500 per parcel,” said the advocate-depute, Hugh Irwin.