'Prisons losing battle on drugs', inquest hears

A coroner has said prisons are fighting a losing battle with drugs after a prisoner died in jail.

Wayne Miller, from Sunderland, was discovered in his cell after it is believed he swallowed drugs that were given to him by a visitor at HMP Frankland in Durham, in December 2024.

A jury at Durham Coroners' Court in Crook found that the 36-year-old's death was drug-related.

Assistant coroner Simon Connolly, who issued a Prevention of Future Deaths Report urging a more consistent approach to the visitors' policy, said: "The picture painted is one of prisons fighting a losing battle."

"I know they're constantly trying to review, reconsider, revise and devise new ways to prevent drugs getting into prison - but they still do," he said.

Miller was serving a life sentence at the category A prison for the murder of Andrew Mather in Sunderland in 2020.

The inquest heard him described as a loveable rogue, who got on well with prisoners and staff in Frankland.

The three-day inquest found the cause of death was due to the effects of a combination of the illegal drugs metonitazene and spice.

It heard he had a history of substance misuse which continued when he was in prison.

He was also known to be in debt to other prisoners over drugs and used spice three to four times a week, as well as cocaine and cannabis.

Pathologist Dr Louise Mulcahy said that synthetic opioid metanitozene, which has side effects including respiratory depression, was far more potent than fentanyl, a drug prescribed for severe cancer pain.

The inquest heard during a visit nine days previously, prison staff had had suspicions that visitors had passed something to Miller, which he then swallowed.

However, subsequent body scans were unable to identify anything.

One of the visitors was arrested and an investigation was carried out, but no further action was taken.

The assistant coroner said he would issue a Prevention of Future Deaths Report urging prison staff to take a more consistent approach to applying the visitor policy if there were suspicions that illicit items were being passed on.

Prison Governor Jason Curley told the inquest that organised crime gangs had strategies to get drugs into prisons, including by using drones.

He said that HMP Frankland had had multimillion-pound security upgrades to try and tackle the problem.

He said: "Some of the prisoners are very, very clever.

"If they decided to go a straight path, they'd be captains of industry, CEOs of major businesses.

"The amount of money they're making on drugs, mobile phones, drone ingress, they're not just going to walk away from this."

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