Sniffer dog catches Northampton teenager trying to smuggle thousands of pounds worth of drugs into prison

A Northampton teenager who tried to smuggle drugs into a prison was caught with the help of a crime-fighting canine.

Amarhi Walker-Grace attempted to take the package of cannabis and tobacco worth up to £2,200 in prison to a prisoner at HMP Peterborough on September 11, 2019.

However, prison officers became suspicious about the 19-year-old's actions and asked a colleague to bring a specially-trained sniffer dog to the visiting area.

When Walker-Grace saw the dog, he panicked and his demeanour changed, prompting officers to take him to a separate area to be searched where they discovered a package hidden in his waistband.

In police interview, Walker-Grace, of Brownlee Place, Wootton, admitted he 'foolishly' agreed to take the package into the prison and that he regretted his actions.

On Friday (June 19) at Peterborough Crown Court, he was sentenced to three months in prison, suspended for 18 months, having pleaded guilty to two counts of bringing a list A article into a prison.

He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £300 costs.

Detective Constable Mat Belfitt said: “As soon as Walker-Grace saw the sniffer dog he clearly panicked and knew the game was up.

“We work closely with prison staff in the county and take this kind of incident very seriously.

“I hope Walker-Grace has learnt his lesson and we won’t see him again.”