Grim reality of spice epidemic in jails: Single prison has NINE inmates overdose on ‘zombie drug’ in one day
- Despite strict security and rules inmates still managed to trade in the substance
- Spice, known as the ‘zombie drug’, is smuggled in by being sprayed on letters
- Epidemic was featured in a TV documentary series filmed inside HMP Durham
Warders at a single prison dealt with up to nine overdoses from ‘spice’ in just one day.
The outbreak during an epidemic of the drug was featured in a TV documentary series filmed over seven months inside HMP Durham.
Despite strict security and rules barring money and mobile phones, inmates still managed to trade in drugs. In the three-part series, prisoners revealed how they hide and sell spice, and use other inmates to test the strength of their stock.
Despite strict security and rules barring money and mobile phones, inmates still managed to trade in drugs (stock image)
They also told how they hide phones by swallowing them.
Spice, known as the ‘zombie drug’, is smuggled in by being sprayed on letters. Convicts then suck the paper or mix them with tobacco to smoke.
Prisoner Stephen Lindsay is shown lying in a comatose state after taking the drug. Nurse Paul Hazel said staff had dealt with ‘eight [or] nine incidents of intoxication yesterday’.
Spice is known as the ‘zombie drug’ because of the effect it has on users (stock image)
Asked if they were spice-related, he added: ‘Probably. It’s on the increase again.’
In another scene, staff find nearly 40 pills of heroin substitute Bupernorphne hidden in a Kinder egg – a haul worth almost £2,000 in prison.
- The first episode of Prison airs on Channel 4 next Thursday at 9pm.
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