A man who attempted to help inmates smuggle an item into HMP Bedford is now behind bars, as a new partnership continues to tackle the supply of contraband into prison.
Tekel Jarratt, 31, of Blundell Road, Luton, and Mohammed Ateeq, 29, of St. Catherines Avenue, Luton, were captured by Bedford Borough Council CCTV operators tying an item to a piece of string in Adelaide Square, which they then threw back over the wall.
The CCTV operators notified Bedfordshire Police, who arrested the two men in nearby Ashburnham Road shortly afterwards.
Jarratt pleaded guilty to throwing an article into prison in relation to the incident in August. Last week he was sentenced to eight months in prison.
Ateeq was found guilty of the same offence at trial and is now awaiting sentencing.
It coincides with the latest multi-agency Operation Yellow, where police, HMP Bedford and the council all work together to combat prison contraband.
Special patrols and operations will be running all the way up until Christmas to ensure things like drugs, cigarettes and phones do not get inside the estate.
It also comes in the same month that eight men from Bedford were sentenced for attempting to smuggle drugs into prison via Luton Crown Court.
Sergeant Ian Leeson said: “Attempting to smuggle drugs or other contraband into prison is likely to see you joining your friends behind bars.
“This is an offence punishable by up to 10 years in jail. Working together with the prison and the council, we are refining how we deal with these incidents and becoming much more effective at rooting out offenders.
“Anyone thinking about doing something like this should be under no illusion; we are proactively looking to stop this and bring those involved to justice.”
