Four people have been convicted of conspiring to throw drugs and mobile phones over the wall into Lewes Prison.
Two of them had already admitted their role in the plot and verdicts on the others were returned by a jury at Hove Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 16 April).
But the jury of five men and seven women were unable to reach a verdict on a fifth defendant who must wait to learn whether he will face a retrial
Judge Roger Chapple told the three men and one women who have been convicted that they will be sentenced in August.
Sussex Police said today that a large number of parcels containing illegal items were thrown over the perimeter wall at Lewes Prison in 2023.
The force said: “The packages contained a collection of items. One large package contained 19 mobile phones, 32 USB leads and five earphones.”
As a result, Sussex Police set up Operation Culprit, led by the force’s Tactical Enforcement Unit (TEU). in partnership with the Prison Service.
The police said: “Tactics included plain clothes and uniformed patrols, joint operations with prison security staff and detection dogs and forensic analysis of recovered parcels.”
On Thursday 23 March 2023, officers located a white Audi reportedly linked to packages thrown into the prison.
They stopped the car near by and searched it. Sussex Police said: “In the back, they found white carrier bags containing cannabis and mobile phones. These were suspected to be packaged for throwing into the prison.”
Jay Lindo, 31, from Parkwells Road, London, and Chukwuemeka Anumnne, 30, from Dundas Road, London, were arrested for having drugs with intent to supply.
They were also held for conspiring to bring or throw a prohibited items into a prison. Anumnne was also charged with having a knife.
They were released on police bail while inquiries continued and charged on Monday 25 November 2024. At Lewes Crown Court on Sunday 2 February last year, they pleaded not guilty.
Yesterday, after a four-week trial at Hove Crown Court, Lindo was found guilty of all counts yesterday.
Anumnne was found not guilty of having a knife but no verdict was reached on the charge of conspiring to bring or throw prohibited items into a prison.
A decision on a retrial is due to be made by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on Thursday 30 April.
On Thursday 6 April 2023, TEU officers responded to a report of a man acting suspiciously near Lewes Prison – and prison officers intercepted parcels which contained wrapped drugs.
Police officers carried out a search of the surrounding area and soon found Jahmal Swaby, 27, of Conduit Way, London, by Lewes railway station.
When challenged, he admitted throwing items over the prison wall, saying: “I’m not gonna lie to you. It was me.”
Swaby was arrested and later pleaded guilty at Lewes Crown Court to throwing prohibited articles into a prison. He is due to return to court for sentencing in the summer.
Digital forensics experts analysed Swaby’s phone and found text messages exchanged with a contact saved as “Zara”. They discussed plans to throw items into the prison.
Sussex Police said: “The messages also contained bank details which led investigators to identify ‘Zara’ as Fatimaalzhra Yousif, 23, of Kilburn Gate, London.
“At the time, Yousif was in a relationship with Yaanan Reid, an inmate at HMP Lewes serving a 41-month sentence for being concerned in the supply of class A drugs – cocaine and heroin.
“Further inquiries were conducted, during which Yousif’s DNA was identified on several additional packages thrown into the prison, including those recovered from incidents involving Lindo on Thursday 23 March 2023.
“Investigators also uncovered evidence of ongoing communication between Yousif, Reid and Swaby alongside financial transactions from Yousif to Reid’s prison account.
“On Sunday 17 September 2023, officers from the TEU arrested Yousif while she was visiting Reid at the prison.
“She was detained on suspicion of conspiring to convey prohibited articles into or out of a prison, as well as conspiring to acquire, use or possess criminal property.
“She was subsequently charged on Friday 22 November 2024.”
Yaanan Reid, 27, was also arrested and charged with the same conspiracy offences as well as having an unauthorised item in prison. He has since been moved from Lewes to Belmarsh Prison and Pentonville Prison, both in London.
He denied the allegations and entered a not guilty plea at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on Monday 30 December 2024.
He went on trial at Hove alongside Yousif, Lindo and Anumnne on Monday 23 March 2026 but, on Tuesday 31 March, Reid changed his plea to guilty to all the offences.
Yousif and Lindo were found guilty on all counts when the jury returned their verdicts yesterday.
Judge Chapple set a date for sentence, with the four who were convicted due back in court to learn their fate on Thursday 20 August 2026.
Sussex Police said: “Thanks to the proactive work of the TEU, throwover incidents at HMP Lewes significantly reduced. During Operation Culprit, 15 people were arrested on suspicion of being involved in this illegal activity.”
Sergeant Dan Thomson, from the Tactical Enforcement Unit, said: “Some people may think throwing drugs and other banned items over prison walls is a victimless crime. It isn’t.
“The harm caused by drugs is well known and mobile phones inside prisons are used to organise further criminal activity, intimidate witnesses and victims and continue offending from behind bars.
“These items also put prison officers’ safety at risk, fuel violence inside our prisons and undermine efforts to rehabilitate offenders.
“That is exactly why we launched Operation Culprit, to target those responsible and stop this dangerous activity.
“Let this be a clear warning: if you are involved in throwing parcels into prison, you will be identified, you will be arrested and you will face a prison sentence.”
Lewes Prison’s head of security, Karen Leak, said: “Through our close work with the police, we are closing in on the criminals attempting to smuggle drugs and other contraband that wreak havoc behind bars.
“As this case shows, our hardworking staff are using every tool at their disposal to detect, disrupt and stop this behaviour and bring offenders to justice.”
