A man was tracked down by police after he threw a tennis ball stuffed full of drugs into HMP Berwyn's prison yard.
Elliott Mark Brew, of Bramblefield Way, Dovecot, had been driven to the prison by another man with "pre-packed" tennis balls ready to throw while inmates were congregating in a yard. Caernarfon Crown Court heard how Brew had travelled to the prison on four different occasions but was only charged with one count of conveying a prohibited item into a prison.
Ryan Rothwell, prosecuting, told the court that Brew and driver Connor Freeman drove in a white Ford Transit van to Wrexham in late 2019. CCTV footage on December 13 2019 showed Freeman stop outside the prison before Brew got out. The footage showed him throw one or two packages into the grounds as the prisoners congregated.
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Mr Rothwell said prison officers managed to seize one. It was found to contain 160g of cannabis or cannabis resin, two grams of cocaine and 40g of a substance resembling cocaine, which after testing turned out to not be the Class A drug.
As they travelled back, police stopped Freeman and Brew at a BP garage in Chester at 3.30pm that day. Both men were arrested and gave no comment answers in interviews.
Frank Dillon, defending, said his client had racked up cannabis debts and when he couldn't pay he was "invited or inveigled is a better word" to get involved. NorthWalesLive reported that Brew accepted he was the thrower and Freeman the driver. Mr Dillon said Brew insisted he was not the packer and the tennis balls were delivered to him by others "ready made".
After police caught them he received threats and "disappeared". Later he appeared in Spain and was arrested and convicted of offences there in May last year.
Mr Dillon said today his client has a five-year-old son and is keen to be reunited with him after his prison sentence. Honour Judge Nicola Saffman noted Brew said the tennis ball was pre-packed and "good to go".
But she jailed Brew for 27 months for conveying a prohibited substance into a prison. He was also given a six-month jail term to run concurrently for possession of cannabis with intent to supply.
Connor Freeman was jailed for a total of seven months in June 2022.
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