By Mark McGivern

Copyright dailyrecord

Jail bosses will wash all pants sent to cons in a bid to smash the drugs trade behind bars. And they are even testing which brand of soap powder is best for blitzing illicit drugs soaked into underwear sent to lags. Prisoners’ pals have been infusing narcotics into clothes, especially pants, which are then smuggled inside, cut up and smoked in cells. They previously soaked the substances into letters. Now, experts have been drafted in to combat novel psychoactive substances, including super-strength Spice . Chemists from the Universities of Dundee, Strathclyde and Bath have tested a range of washing detergents and managed to remove 98 per cent of NPSs from clothes – even at low temperatures. The best drug buster of all is the eco-friendly brand Smol – with Persil the worst-performing at getting rid of the drugs. A source said: “In Scotland, prisoners wear their own clothes rather than orange jumpsuits – but that creates opportunities to smuggle drugs in. “We’ve always seen ingenious ways of getting the stuff in – things like drone drops and soaking letters in drugs – and clothing is one of the latest. “But sometimes the simplest solutions are the best.” The study, in the journal Forensic Chemistry, states: “NPSs have been infused into clothing, particularly small items, such as undergarments, sent to prisons. “Prisoners may extract the infused drugs by boiling the clothing in kettles or resort to other methods such as ripping them up and smoking or vaping the pieces.” NPSs don’t dissolve in water, so a simple rinse is not enough to get them out of clothes . But researchers tested different washing detergents, pods and powders against a variety of drugs in multiple textiles. An SPS spokesman said: “Any attempt to bring illicit substances into our establishments, including in clothing, poses a significant threat to the health and wellbeing of those in our care, and we will use all tools available to prevent this wherever possible.”