By SCM REPORTER
A BENT prison officer who helped a ruthless gang flood a jail with drugs, burner phones, and porn has been caged for his part in a massive smuggling racket.
Jason Thompson, 34, sold his soul for as little as £400 a package, acting as the “inside man” for a North London mob at HMP Isis.
The corrupt screw was part of a “sophisticated” criminal network that used “unheard slang” and burner phones to sneak contraband past security during supervised visits.
A major Met Police probe revealed the gang successfully pulled off 18 drop-offs in just five months. The “shopping list” of illegal goods included:
Mobile phones * USB sticks loaded with movies and “pornographic material”
The operation was masterminded by “kingpin” Olusegan Shobanjo, 26, who directed the distribution from the outside. Meanwhile, his brother Adedayo Shobanjo, 28, acted as the gang’s “banker,” raking in a staggering £50,000 from 103 people linked to lags behind bars.
The game was up when detectives from the Met’s specialist crime unit spent 800 hours pouring over CCTV and phone records.
Cops finally pounced in a series of dawn raids across London, seizing Class A drugs and ammunition at the homes of gang members. One courier, Arian Kaseb, was even nicked at the gates of HMP Belmarsh on the very day he was released.
At Snaresbrook Crown Court, the gang were handed sentences totalling 25 years.
Thompson, of Stanley Close, SE9, was jailed for four years and six months after admitting misconduct in a public office and conspiracy.
Detective Inspector John Cowell said: “The members of this gang, which included a member of prison staff, believed they were able to bypass the law and outsmart both the police and prison authorities. What they did not realise was that officers had identified the conspiracy early on.”
HMP Isis Deputy Governor Stephen Forde added:
”This sentence shows how seriously the courts view corruption by those in positions of authority. The vast majority of prison staff are honest, but those who choose corruption put staff and prisoners at risk.”
