A Lanarkshire prison officer smuggled cocaine and other drugs into a maximum security jail after befriending a killer.
Heather McKenzie, 31, of Forth, bonded with con Zak Malavin while working as an operations officer at HMP Shotts, which houses some of Scotland’s most notorious criminals.
Prison officials and police launched a probe following a surge in drugs being found in the jail.
Intelligence inside led to McKenzie being suspected of bringing drugs and phones into the prison.
Malavin, caged for the slaying of a man in a park, had his cell searched in May 2020 which led to an iPhone, cocaine and a sleeping pill being found.
A search the following month found two knotted bags with 5.7g of cocaine while data on the iPhone revealed texts and calls to McKenzie.
Police raided her home in October 2020 and found £2500 in cash, mobile phones, syringes, steroids, cocaine and benzocaine.
Phone analysis revealed a string of messages between Malavin and McKenzie, who met with criminals to be given drugs, phones and money.
McKenzie also persuaded another prisoner to stay involved in the scheme after he considered pulling out.
At the High Court in Lanark the mother of two admitted supplying Malavin and others with drugs between March and October 2020. She also admitted giving Malavin an illicit phone and a SIM card.
Prosecutor Graeme Jessop said a joint operation by the Scottish Prison Service and Police Scotland into corruption by jail staff began in March 2020.
He added: “The accused was identified as one of the prison officers suspected to be introducing controlled drugs, mobile devices and other articles into the prison.
Further, consistent intelligence was received purporting the accused had formed a close relationship with a prisoner who is serving a life sentence.”
He told the court: “The prisoner appeared to use other prisoners to hold and store illicit items and the accused would drop smuggled items into a prisoner safe within or near his cell.
“Another prisoner appears to have wanted nothing further to do with this and the accused is sent by the prisoner who was communicating with her to speak with him and reassure him.
“The accused describes convincing him to keep going and assuring him his cell won’t be searched and he won’t be caught.”
McKenzie will be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on February 23. A proceeds of crime case has been launched against her.
Malavin knifed Andrew Curran, 41, to death in front of his sons during a fight in Glasgow’s Maryhill Park in April 2010.
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