Pharmacy Worker Jailed Over Prison Drug Smuggling
A 61-year-old pharmacy technician has been locked up for over six years after running a drug and SIM card smuggling ring into HMP Bristol.
Tanya Petrie Caught Red-Handed
Tanya Petrie, from Worle, was sentenced to six years and three months at Bristol Crown Court on Monday, 16 February. She was found guilty of conspiring to smuggle list A drugs – the hardest substances – into the prison. Petrie had already admitted bringing in list B items, including tobacco and lesser drugs. The court heard Petrie exploited her job inside HMP Bristol to sneak contraband behind bars.
Smuggling Operation Unravelled
- On 17 October 2023, police caught Petrie collecting a suspicious package from a wheelie bin in a Bristol garden.
- Casey Collins, 23, from Knowle West, lived at the property and allegedly left the parcel for Petrie.
- Petrie headed to the prison, where officers stopped and searched her.
- She was found with a cling film-wrapped bundle containing cocaine, class B drugs, and tobacco.
Phone records revealed two numbers inside the prison, including one linked to inmate Kyle Joyner, 32, who was in contact with Collins – exposing a sprawling smuggling network.
Accomplices Also Behind Bars
During police interviews, Petrie admitted collecting money from the wheelie bin and using it to buy SIM cards from a local garage. She then smuggled these phones into HMP Bristol for inmates, helping the prison-wide illegal ring.
