Man arrested for cash machine raids found to be smuggling drug-soaked letters with help from parents
A man that was locked up for cash machine raids has received further jailed time after police uncovered his smuggling drug-soaked letters into prisons across the country with the help from his parents.
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Larry Thomas Barnett, aged 38, along with his father Larry Graham Barnett, aged 61, and stepmother Andrea Simpkin, aged 53, smuggled spice and mamba — a substance that mimics the effects of cannabis and cocaine — into prisons around the country in 2019.
Larry Thomas Barnett was jailed in 2020 for more than 20 years after a series of cash machine raids.
During this investigation, several mobile phones were seized and examined which led officers to uncover the drug smuggling plot.
The family used their garden shed at their house in Stechford as part of the operation.
The drug-soaked papers were disguised as legal letters from a Birmingham-based solicitor firm and were posted to multiple prisons across the country.
Prison staff seized letters which they believed to be laced with drugs. Following forensic tests for illegal substances, they came back with a positive result for class B drugs.
Police executed a warrant at the family home and seized cash along with sheets of paper and a table which tested positive for Class B drugs, along with templates for the legal letters.
The investigation revealed that the family had received thousands of pounds via bank transactions from families and friends of serving inmates.
On November 6, Thomas Barnett, who was found guilty at an earlier hearing, was jailed for two years and six months which will be added to his existing sentence.
His father admitted charges and was given a one year and seven month sentence suspended for two years. Simpkin, who also admitted charges, was given a two year jail sentence suspended for two years.
Detective Constable Vicki Brown who led the investigation said: “Forensic tests showed the sheets of paper have been soaked or sprayed with a synthetic cannabinoid, also known as spice or mamba.
“This is a substance that mimics the effects of cannabis and cocaine. The sheets of paper were concealed inside envelopes claiming to contain private and confidential material, such as legal documents, in the hope they wouldn’t be open to the same level of scrutiny as personal mail.
“This case shows that offenders will use increasingly innovative methods to try and smuggle drugs and other banned items into prison – but working with the prison service we are determined to stop the supply and prosecute offenders.”
HM Prison and Probation Services Deputy Director Caroline Mersey said: “Diligent staff working in close partnership with West Midlands Police gathered crucial evidence linking these criminals to the distribution of illicit letters - successfully securing their convictions.
“We do not tolerate drugs in our prisons and, as was the case here, people who break the rules face criminal punishment.”
