Prison Custody Officer from Rochdale jailed for smuggling drugs into HMP Forest Bank

A former Prison Custody Officer who smuggled contraband into HMP Forest Bank has been jailed today (Friday 3 May).

Christian Gomez, 40, of East Street, Rochdale was jailed for two years and four months years after pleading guilty to conveying illegal articles (namely cannabis and tobacco) into prison. 

On 16 June 2022 Gomez set off a metal detector when he reported to work, during a standard security check that all visitors and employees to the prison are required to pass. A vigilant Operational Support Officer scanned Gomez more thoroughly with her metal detector wand and noticed something hidden in his trousers.   

When she questioned him, he blamed his metal penis ring for setting off the alarm before agreeing to go back to his car to remove it. Officers reviewed CCTV footage which showed him going back to his car and removing items out of his trousers. Six minutes later, he went back into the prison and passed through security, claiming his 'MMA shield' was what caused the alarm to go off earlier. He was then intercepted by Security Department Officers to whom he admitted to taking tobacco and cannabis into the prison. 

The NWROCU’s Prison Anti-Corruption Unit attended the prison and arrested Gomez later that day. Officers searched his car and discovered two wrapped parcels which were later found to contain tobacco and cannabis resin.

Officers also searched home address and found an Aldi bag with four parcels of a similar size, prison property tags, testosterone bottles, weighing scales, £570 cash and a wrap of vegetable matter. Subsequent analysis of his mobile phone provided evidence that Gomez had communicated with others about bringing items to the jail.   

On 15 July 2022 he resigned from his position after 15 years of working at HMP Forest Bank.

DC Adam Cronshaw from the NWROCU’s Prison Anti-Corruption Unit said,

“Christian Gomez abused his position as a Prison Custody Officer by agreeing to take drugs and tobacco into the prison for the inmates, and he will now have to face the consequences of his actions. The total value of the drugs we seized from him was worth around £15,000. 

"We will continue to take robust action and investigate any offences which we suspect are taking place in our prisons. We want to reassure the honest, dedicated, and hardworking prison staff that we will continue to act against any member of staff who chooses to engage in corrupt activity. We encourage anyone who has information about corruption in our prisons to report it to police or anonymously to Crimestoppers online or by calling 0800 555 111."

An HMP Forest Bank Spokesperson said:

“Preventing illicit items from entering the prison is key to prisoner rehabilitation and we will continue to work closely with NWROCU team to tackle this issue and to seek prosecution for anyone involved in the trafficking and possession of such items.”