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Drugs supplier Rushena Williams jailed after smuggling heroin and cannabis into Swaleside Prison in Eastchurch on Sheppey

A woman with previous convictions for supplying drugs has been jailed for two-and-a-half years for smuggling cannabis and heroin into a prison.

Rushena Williams' claim she believed she was only taking cannabis into Swaleside Prison in Eastchurch, Sheppey, for an inmate was accepted by a judge.

The 28-year-old, of Dalston, Hackney, east London, admitted supplying heroin and possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

Trouble at HMP Swaleside has been blamed on understaffing
Trouble at HMP Swaleside has been blamed on understaffing

Maidstone Crown Court heard Williams, who received a similar sentence in 2005 for supplying Class A drugs to an undercover police officer, had a life-threatening illness for which the prognosis was poor.

She told how she was given a lift to the prison on November 23, 2012 and passed the drugs by a man she refused to name for fear of reprisals.

She concealed the two wraps under her stomach and passed one to the prisoner. She claimed he declined to take the second wrap, which was to contain 3.48g of heroin. The cannabis weighed 5.43g.

Prison officers saw what was happening and Williams was strip-searched. Nothing was found, but the wrap of heroin spotted on a chair.

She admitted she had taken cannabis into the jail before for the friend, with whom she previously had a relationship.

The pair were jailed at Maidstone Crown Court
The pair were jailed at Maidstone Crown Court

Williams, who has learning difficulties, said she had been "stupid", adding: "It is only when I get into trouble it teaches me I should listen. I always jump and do stuff.

"I thought it was weed (cannabis). The packages were under my belly. He was rushing me telling me to hurry up. I quickly give it to him. I tried to give him the next one and he said he didn't want it."

Asked why she did it, she replied: "I was scared to say no. I was scared for my life, that they would hurt me. I didn't ask no questions."

Had the latest offence been her third conviction, she could have faced a minimum of seven years imprisonment.

Judge Philip Statman told Williams: "You understand, I am sure, just how grave these offences are. The good order of prison is severely disrupted when drugs are introduced to those who are serving prison sentences."


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