A disgraced former prison officer who smuggled £15,000 worth of drugs and tobacco into HMP Forest Bank has been ordered to pay back thousands of pounds in criminal profits, sending a clear warning that corruption within Britain’s prison system will not pay.
Christian Gomez, 40, of East Street, Rochdale, appeared at court on Friday, 15 August, where a confiscation order of £6,220.19 was agreed under the Proceeds of Crime Act. The order follows his conviction earlier this year when he was sentenced to two years and four months in prison after pleading guilty to conveying illegal articles into the Category B men’s prison in Salford.
The North West Regional Organised Crime Unit’s (NWROCU) prison anti-corruption unit pursued the confiscation proceedings after financial investigations revealed unexplained cash deposits in Gomez’s bank accounts over a seven-month period, suggesting his involvement in the smuggling operation went beyond being a simple courier.
“This case sends a clear and powerful message, corruption at any level does not pay,” said Ali Peacock, senior financial investigator at the NWROCU. Gomez may have thought he could profit from smuggling contraband into prison, but not only was he caught and jailed, he’s now being stripped of the money he made.
During court proceedings, Gomez’s defence team argued he was merely a courier and not responsible for the full £15,000 value of the contraband. However, the financial checks painted a different picture, revealing a pattern of unexplained wealth that pointed to broader criminal involvement in the lucrative prison drugs trade.
The former officer must now pay the full £6,220.19 within three months or face an additional default sentence of three months imprisonment. This latest development demonstrates how authorities are increasingly using financial powers to target those who profit from prison corruption.
HMP Forest Bank, operated by Sodexo Justice Services in the Agecroft area of Pendlebury, has faced ongoing challenges with contraband smuggling. The privately-run facility, which opened in 2000, houses around 1,460 prisoners and has been the subject of numerous inspections highlighting concerns about drug availability within its walls.
The prison has seen multiple cases of corrupt staff members attempting to smuggle contraband in recent years. In June 2024, prison custody officer Farrah Jones, 28, was jailed for four years after being caught smuggling drugs worth over £100,000 into the facility. Jones, who worked for transport service GeoAmey, was discovered hiding packages containing ketamine, tablets, and cannabis resin in a toilet block.
Another high-profile case involved Hannah Angwaba, 30, a prison officer who was sentenced to four years and six months after being caught attempting to smuggle cocaine, cannabis, mobile phones, and tobacco hidden in her hair braids. Angwaba had been manipulated into a fake romance with convicted rapist Anton McPherson, who orchestrated the smuggling operation from inside the prison.
These cases highlight the sophisticated methods used by organised crime groups to infiltrate prison security. Drugs and other contraband can sell for up to five times their street value once inside prison walls, creating enormous financial incentives for corruption.
Detective Superintendent Andy Buckthorpe, Greater Manchester Police’s strategic lead for threat from organised crime in prisons, recently described the problem as requiring constant vigilance. In October 2024, police launched Operation AVRO, a major initiative targeting drug smuggling across Greater Manchester’s four prisons, including HMP Forest Bank.
The operation has revealed increasingly creative smuggling methods, including the use of drones to fly contraband over prison walls. In September 2024, officers intercepted a drone carrying tobacco, cannabis, suspected cocaine, MDMA, mobile phones, and pen drives before it could enter HMP Manchester.
Prison inspectors have repeatedly raised concerns about drug availability at Forest Bank. A December 2005 inspection found that in just one month, more than 2kg of cannabis, 60g of heroin, and 4.6g of cocaine were discovered, with 40 per cent of compulsory drug tests returning positive results.
More recent inspections have noted some improvements in reducing drug availability, but the facility continues to struggle with high levels of violence and the constant challenge of preventing contraband from entering the prison. The lucrative nature of the prison drugs trade means corrupt staff members face enormous temptation.
“Even after conviction, our work doesn’t stop,” Peacock emphasised. We will continue to investigate and recover criminal assets to ensure offenders do not benefit from their crimes.”
The use of confiscation orders represents a crucial tool in the fight against prison corruption. By stripping criminals of their profits, authorities aim to remove the financial incentive that drives many to risk their careers and freedom.
For prison officers considering corruption, Gomez’s case serves as a stark warning. Not only do they face imprisonment and the loss of their careers, but any profits made will be pursued through the courts long after their criminal conviction.
The NWROCU’s prison anti-corruption unit continues to work closely with prison authorities and Greater Manchester Police to identify and prosecute those who attempt to profit from smuggling contraband into prisons. Their message is clear: corruption at any level will be detected, prosecuted, and the proceeds of crime will be recovered.
As authorities continue their crackdown on prison smuggling, the focus remains on supporting the vast majority of honest, dedicated prison staff who work in challenging conditions to maintain safety and security within Britain’s prisons.
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Image Credit (Shortened):
The River Irwell near HMP Forest Bank (21 Jan 2012) – by Bill Boaden, licensed under CC BY‑SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
