Filip Tanasescu, 21, of Pedley Road in Dagenhmam has been sentenced to four months in prison after pleading guilty to attempting to throw a prohibited item into Bedford Prison.
In the early hours of 10 December 2018, Tanasescu was seen on CCTV walking towards a wall bordering HMP Bedford.
He was filmed talking on a phone whilst standing next to the wall and removing a package from his pocket, tying it to a piece of weighted fishing line dangling over the wall, and then attempted to throw it over the wall.
His attempt was unsuccessful, and ten minutes after he was first seen on CCTV, police arrived and he was arrested.
The package he was trying to get to inmates in the prison contained tobacco, rolling paper and a small pouch of cannabis.
Police had stepped up activity around the area before Christmas, aiming to tackle throw overs and other illegal activity at Bedford Prison.
Officers are also working more closely with colleagues from the prison and other agencies to crackdown on the smuggling of other items to prisoners.
Sergeant Ian Leeson, who leads the operation, said: “We will continue to crack down on people who try and smuggle items into prison.
“Officers responded within ten minutes of Tanasescu initially being seen on CCTV, which I hope acts as a deterrent to others. We will respond robustly to any reports we receive of items being thrown over into Bedford Prison, and take appropriate action.
“We’re also working closely with Bedford Prison, who continue to flag up any suspicious incidents extremely quickly. Their support will be vital in putting a stop to these issues, and will help us clamp down more on any illegal activity.”
Anyone who has any information about activity like this is asked to call Bedfordshire Police on 101.
