Prison officer and inmates jailed for chocolate bar cannabis smuggling plot

A former prison officer and two inmates have been jailed for more than 11 years after being convicted of being involved in the smuggling of cannabis into HMP Oakwood.

Prison officer Robert Anderson, aged 31, of Birmingham, and inmates Waqqas Mughal, aged 36, of Smethwick and Yousef Abdullahi, aged 31, of no fixed address, along with Loen Burton, aged 29, of Mill Hill, London, were all convicted at Wolverhampton Crown Court earlier this year for their involvement in the plot.

Anderson, Mughal and Burton each admitted conspiracy to supply class B drugs, while Abdullahi was found guilty of the same charge following trial.  Anderson, Mughal and Abdullahi were each sentenced at the same court yesterday (Thursday 12 February), while Burton’s sentencing is due to take place on a date yet to be fixed.

Anderson was handed a two-year-and-nine-month jail term, while Mughal was sentenced to three-years-and-four-months behind bars, with Abdullahi jailed for five-and-a-half-years.

The group’s conviction follows an investigation by officers at the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU), which revealed Anderson had been concealing cannabis in chocolate bars to bring into the prison in 2022.

When he was searched on prison grounds in December that year, drugs with a prison value of £13,000 were discovered on him, some concealed within Double Decker bars.

Officers then searched his home address and found a large quantity of cash and a mobile phone, which showed him having significant contact with inmates.

Further inquiries revealed Mughal had hidden sim cards in his cell which revealed his contact with Anderson as well as several wraps of cannabis.

Cell searches of Abdullahi also revealed illicit mobile phones detailing drug-dealing arrangements made within the prison, with Burton distributing the substances under his direction.

Other offences the group were convicted of included:

• Anderson admitted conveying list b prohibited articles into a prison
• Mughal admitted possession of three sim cards in prison without authority and unauthorised transmission of an image or sound by electronic communication within a prison
• Abdullahi admitted possessing a mobile phone in prison without authority and unauthorised transmission of an image or sound by electronic communication within a prison.

Speaking following yesterday’s sentencing, the officer in the case, Detective Constable Adam McHugh of West Midlands ROCU, said: “This was a sophisticated operation which saw Anderson abuse his position to smuggle the drugs in, while Mughal, Burton and Abdullahi were clearly involved in the distribution of the substances throughout the prison population.

“The recovery of sim cards and illicit mobile phones showed the extent of the conspiracy, while the attempts to conceal the drugs showed how determined the group was to get the cannabis behind bars.

“I am pleased they were all convicted and that so far, three have been handed a significant jail terms for their offending. I hope this shows how determined we are to crack-down on criminality within prisons – especially those in a position of trust who abuse their authority for financial gain.”