A MOTHER has been fined after using her small child in a failed attempt to smuggle drugs into Acacia Prison last month.

Carmine Sarah Stacey (38) put 3g of synthetic cannabis inside a balloon and hid it in her child’s sock before visiting her partner inside the prison, Midland Magistrates Court heard on Friday.

Prison officers watching on CCTV noticed the prisoner take the balloon from the child’s sock and hide it up his own sleeve before they interrupted and ended the couple’s visit.

The court heard the prisoner ditched the balloon as he was being led away.

Stacey, of South Guildford, pleaded guilty to one count of conveying an unauthorised article into prison likely to jeopardise good order.

She was fined $1000 and ordered to pay additional court costs $190.85 but during sentencing, Magistrate Stephen Sharratt warned small-scale trafficking into prisons was spiralling.

He said he had dealt with five smuggling cases involving partners of prisoners in the past week, including four on Friday in the Midland court.

Mr Sharratt accepted prisoners pressured their family and associates to bring in contraband but said people on the outside were risking their own freedom by participating.

“I am going to have to start jailing people otherwise it won’t stop,” he said.

“People go crazy on synthetic cannabis in jail.

“I have heard stories of prisoners howling all night long when they are on it.”

Stacey’s lawyer argued the mother of five had been subject to serious threats from her partner before she agreed to smuggle the synthetic cannabis on June 10.

Mr Sharratt accepted Stacey had acted under duress.

He ordered the synthetic cannabis be destroyed.