Sniffer dog at Norwich jail found drugs down man's trousers

Zakariya Abdi, 21, was stopped while visiting HMP Norwich after a drugs dog indicated there was something down his trousers "suggesting that it was contraband".

Norwich Crown Court heard Abdi initially said he had nothing on him but when told by prison officers he would be searched he then took out a package he had put down his trousers.

Norwich Crown Court (Image: Peter Walsh, Newsquest)Oliver Haswell, prosecuting, said prison officers found 27g of cannabis as well as a small amount of Rizla papers, after Abdi was searched at the Knox Road jail on December 6, 2022.

Mr Haswell said Abdi was "effectively a courier" trying to convey drugs into prison "no doubt" under the direction of others.

He said the defendant pleaded guilty on the basis he was subjected to pressure from others to commit the offence.

Abdi, from Romford, London, appeared at court on Tuesday (March 12) after admitting conveying a prohibited article into prison.

Norwich Prison (Image: Newsquest)Timothy Kiely, mitigating, said he had pleaded guilty to the offence for which he was entitled credit.

He said Abdi had accrued an amount of debt to people he had become involved with and was given a package of drugs to take into prison.

Mr Kiely said Abdi "panicked" and made a foolish decision.

He said this was a defendant who found himself in extremely difficult circumstances, having witnessed domestic abuse and the "fatal shooting of two friends".

Recorder Nicola Fitches said smuggling drugs into prison "creates a currency and increases the potential for disorder and bullying".

She said the offence was so serious that only immediate custody could be justified and sentenced Abdi to 19 weeks imprisonment,