A Birmingham man has received additional jail time after conspiring with his family to smuggle drug-soaked letters disguised as legal correspondence into prisons across the UK.
Larry Thomas Barnett, aged 38, along with his father Larry Graham Barnett, aged 61, and stepmother Andrea Simpkin, aged 53, used their garden shed in Stechford as a base for their illicit operation. The trio concealed sheets of paper laced with the synthetic cannabinoids spice and mamba within envelopes mimicking legal letters from a Birmingham-based solicitor’s firm. These letters were then mailed to various UK prisons in an attempt to evade detection.
Larry Thomas Barnett, who was already serving a sentence of over 20 years following a series of cash machine raids, has now received an additional two years and six months, further extending his prison term. His father, Larry Graham Barnett, admitted to the charges and received a one year and seven month sentence, suspended for two years. Andrea Simpkin also received a suspended two-year jail sentence.
Detective Constable Vicki Brown, who led the investigation, stated: “Forensic tests showed the sheets of paper had been soaked with a synthetic cannabinoid. These substances mimic the effects of cannabis and cocaine. The documents were labelled as private and confidential legal materials to avoid scrutiny.”
This investigation, which began when prison staff intercepted suspicious letters, uncovered a complex operation with thousands of pounds transferred to the family by friends and relatives of inmates. Following a warrant at the Stechford residence, police seized cash, paper sheets, and templates for the fake legal documents, all of which tested positive for Class B drugs.
HM Prison and Probation Services Deputy Director Caroline Mersey commended the collaboration with West Midlands Police, stating, “Diligent staff gathered crucial evidence linking these criminals to the distribution of illicit letters. We do not tolerate drugs in our prisons, and offenders will face criminal punishment.”
The case highlights the lengths criminals will go to in smuggling drugs into prisons, but authorities are resolute in their efforts to halt such activities.