A MAN has been jailed for smuggling cocaine into HMP Glenochil.

Thomas McArthur was caught passing the drugs over to his brother during a visit and now he is also behind bars.

McArthur, 47, of Orkney Place, Kirkcaldy, appeared at Alloa Sheriff Court on Thursday, May 18.

He admitted that on February 5, at HMP Glenochil, he supplied a controlled drug, cocaine, to Gordon McArthur.

Depute fiscal Bernadette Cuthbertson said that at 10.55am McArthur was visiting his brother in the prison.

Around 35 minutes into the visit there was a distraction caused by another prisoner and McArthur was seen "awkwardly" handing over a package to his brother.

It was spotted by prison officers and the brother swallowed the package in a bid to avoid detection.

Defence solicitor Kelly Howe said her client had been threatened over a drug debt run up by his brother and told to take the drugs into prison or else they would both be "getting it".

She conceded: "He has an unenviable record there's no doubt about that."

He had also struggled with drug addiction for a number of years, the court heard.

Sheriff Neil Bowie jailed McArthur for six months.

He noted that McArthur had a lengthy record of previous convictions including drug dealing.