The new governor of HMP Edinburgh said that prisoners are now taking synthetic drugs and new forms of benzodiazepines that are having extreme reactions due to their increased effectiveness.

It was found that drones are increasingly being used to smuggle drugs and weapons into prisoners. It was noted that earlier in the year a craft had crashed into HMP Edinburgh’s grounds while carrying nearly £750,000 worth of drugs, phones and knifes. 

In 2022, drugs worth an estimated value of £900,000 were recovered across the prison estate which included £285,000 worth being recovered at HMP Edinburgh. 

Ms Cruickshanks explained that it is a constant challenge to ensure that drugs and prohibited items do not enter the prison. 

The governor of HMP Edinburgh expressed that “We should do everything we can to disrupt the supply of drugs both within prisons and in our community.

“But we also need to be working to reduce demand for drugs and that’s why the recovery work that is going on in this prison here in Edinburgh but also elsewhere in Scotland is so vital in terms of supporting prisoners on their road to recovery, but also on their road to rehabilitation.”