Woman caught smuggling drugs into jail under false teeth

Kimberley Fraser (35) was caught out by a specialist sniffer dog as she tried to sneak the drugs into maximum security Perth Prison.

As the dog alerted prison staff, Fraser tried to get rid of the drugs by flicking out her dental plate and swallowing them.

But she choked on the package and was left “gurgling” and foaming at the mouth as it stuck in her throat.

Fiscal depute Carol Whyte told Perth Sheriff Court: “At 6.55pm one of the prison drug detection dogs was on duty with its handler.

“They indicated the accused may be in possession of drugs. She was then taken to a private room and searched.

“During the search 4.9 grams of cannabis was recovered with a potential prison value of £60. There was also 1.1 grams of diamorphine [heroin] with a prison value of £500.

“During the search it appeared the accused was concealing an item between her lower false teeth and her jaw. After much persuasion she removed her lower false teeth but then put her head down.

“Then a gurgling sound could be heard from her throat as if an item was stuck there. Once the search was completed the accused began to be sick, coughing up excessive amounts of saliva and mucous. Nothing further was recovered.”

Fraser, of Alison Street, Kirkcaldy, admitted being in possession of heroin and cannabis at Perth Prison on October 19 last year. She also admitted obstructing police by swallowing a package containing controlled substances.

Solicitor Emma Fraser, defending, said: “Her partner was serving a sentence at the time. She lapsed into illicit drug misuse and depression. She forgot the drugs were on her person when she went to visit.

“On realising she had them on her she was challenged and panicked and tried to conceal the drugs. Her drug misuse correlates to her offending behaviour.

“She doesn’t appear to have any structure in her personal life and this results in relapses into drug misuse. She can be managed in the community through supervision.”

Sheriff William Wood told the single mother: “It is clearly potentially a very serious offence to take controlled drugs into the prison.

“I’m not wholly convinced by the explanation you gave that you had it with you and that you forgot you had it.

“You had something concealed under your lower plate. That is not an afterthought. That has not been brought out by surprise at having drugs. That was an effort to conceal drugs.”

Fraser previously had sentence deferred and when the case was transferred to Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court she was admonished.