Drug Mule Jailed for Hiding £1,600 Heroin Inside Body

A man who acted as a drugs “mule” has been jailed after being caught with £1,600 worth of heroin concealed inside his body 💊⚖️

Mark Anthony Briskham, 52, of Wavell Crescent, Pembroke Dock, was sentenced to 16 months in prison at Swansea Crown Court after pleading guilty to possession of heroin with intent to supply.

The court heard that on 8 June last year, Briskham and another man drove from Pembrokeshire to Swansea to collect diamorphine. Their car was stopped by police on the A477 at Llanteg during the return journey.

When no drugs were found during searches, both men were taken to Withybush Hospital for body scans. Whilst his passenger’s scan was negative, Briskham refused to be scanned and was taken to a police station under supervision.

Prosecutor Caitlin Brazel told the court: “Briskham then defecated and passed a package containing 12.7g of heroin worth around £1,600 on the streets.”

The defendant accepted buying clingfilm to wrap the drugs before concealing them in his rectum. He planned to give the package to his passenger at the journey’s end and receive 7g of heroin for his own use.

Briskham has 35 previous convictions for 112 offences, including possession of ecstasy with intent to supply.

Judge Geraint Walters said Briskham had “played cat and mouse” with police and told him: “It is evident from reading the defendant’s pre-sentence report that he is somebody who wants to manipulate situations to take as much from society as possible without giving back.”

The judge noted that amongst all Class A drugs, heroin was “the most harmful of them all” and said “engaging in the activity of supplying it has to be treated as a serious matter.”

With a 20% discount for his guilty plea – described by the judge as “quite frankly generous” – Briskham was sentenced to 16 months in prison.