![\"Police](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1_Prison-smugglers.jpg\")
The prison smuggling gang included serving prison custody officer Carla Moskot-Bretell (l), her partner Darren Oakes (centre) and Patricia Bucknall (r) who paid social visits to Oakes <\/p>\nA gang of four from the Black Country including a serving prison custody officer conspired to smuggle cannabis and tobacco into HMP Birmingham<\/p>\n
15:40, 05 Dec 2025Updated 15:56, 05 Dec 2025<\/p>\n
The prison smuggling gang included serving prison custody officer Carla Moskot-Bretell (l), her partner Darren Oakes (centre) and Patricia Bucknall (r) who paid social visits to Oakes <\/p>\n
A corrupt prison officer worked with three others – including her prisoner boyfriend – to smuggle items into Birmingham<\/a>\u2019s prison.<\/p>\n Carla Moskot-Brettell, a prison custody officer at HMP Hewell, near Redditch<\/a> in Worcestershire<\/a>, led co-ordinated efforts to smuggle items including cannabis and tobacco into HMP Birmingham.<\/p>\n Moskot-Brettell, 35, conspired with her partner, Darren Oakes, who was a serving prisoner within the Winson Green<\/a> lock-up, to get the illicit items behind bars.<\/p>\n Read more: Stabbing at Birmingham nightclub leaves man seriously injured<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The couple worked with Louise Docker and Patricia Bucknell, also from the Black Country<\/a>, to prepare and wrap cannabis in cling film.<\/p>\n It was then placed inside a surgical glove that Moskot-Brettell had obtained from the prison she worked at.<\/p>\n The packages were laced with spices in an effort to confuse the scent of search dogs deployed at the prison.<\/p>\n Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp<\/a>, click the link to join<\/strong><\/p>\n And they were then smuggled into the jail by Bucknell during social visits with Oakes.<\/p>\n Once inside the prison, the packages were placed inside food orders from the social visits canteen.<\/p>\n They were then ingested by Oakes, who would later make himself vomit in his cell to bring the packages back up so he could supply them to his fellow inmates.<\/p>\n The plot was uncovered following an investigation by West Midlands Police<\/a> \u2019s ROCU (Regional Organised Crime Unit) into the behaviour of Moskot-Brettell.<\/p>\n All four pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle items into prison – “conspiracy to bring\/throw\/convey List A Prohibited articles into or out of a prison” – and were sentenced at Wolverhampton<\/a> Crown Court last Friday (November 28).<\/p>\n Moskot-Bretell of Stour Hill, Quarry Bank in Brierley Hill<\/a> was jailed for three years and nine months<\/p>\n Darren Oakes, 47, was jailed for three years and nine months<\/p>\n Louise Docker of Birmingham Street, Halesowen<\/a>, was jailed for two years and three months. There is no custody image of Docker.<\/p>\n And Patricia Bucknell, 51, of Clent View Road, Cradley, was jailed for two years and three months.<\/p>\n![\"Police](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1764961882_670_1_Prison-smugglers.jpg\")
The prison smuggling gang included serving prison custody officer Carla Moskot-Bretell (l), her partner Darren Oakes (centre) and Patricia Bucknall (r) who paid social visits to Oakes <\/p>\n