A category C men’s prison in Nottinghamshire has been placed on total lockdown after two inmates died and more than a dozen medical emergencies were reported in the space of 48 hours, in what sources describe as a unfolding crisis linked to a contaminated batch of synthetic cannabis.
HMP Ranby, near Retford, has been effectively sealed off since Tuesday as prison officers and paramedics race to contain the fallout. Insiders say the jail has been gripped by chaos, with prisoners confined to their cells while healthcare teams move wing by wing checking for further casualties. The Prison and Probation Ombudsman has been notified, and Nottinghamshire Police have opened a formal investigation into the deaths, which occurred on Wednesday 4 November.
A cascade of ‘code blues’
The scale of the medical response underscores the severity of the situation. Sources inside the prison describe a relentless series of “code blues” — the internal alarm triggered when a prisoner is found unconscious, not breathing, or suffering a suspected overdose. Up to 14 such alerts are understood to have been sounded across two days.
On Tuesday, four ambulances were seen at the gates. By Wednesday morning, the response had escalated: an air ambulance landed on the grounds while three further ambulance crews were deployed. “The prison is on complete lockdown,” one source said. “They have been round three times since this morning making sure no one else is dead or code blue.”
For the men held at Ranby, the atmosphere is described as tense and frightened. Prisoners were warned on Wednesday about a batch of contaminated spice — a synthetic cannabinoid long prevalent in the secure estate — believed to be circulating on the wings. The drug, often smoked in paper or vaped, is notorious for its unpredictable potency and the speed with which it can incapacitate users.
A known vulnerability
The tragedy at Ranby will revive uncomfortable questions about drug supply routes into English prisons. The jail’s most recent inspection, carried out in October 2025, flagged the “wide availability of drugs” as a “considerable concern.” The report explicitly warned that the Prison Service needed to invest in physical security to stem the flow of contraband entering via drones — a method that has become increasingly sophisticated and difficult to intercept.
Despite those warnings, sources suggest the supply chain remained intact. Spice, cheap and easy to conceal, continues to be a currency of its own behind walls. Its effects can be violent, dissociative, and — as this week appears to confirm — lethal when a batch is adulterated or simply too strong.
Families left waiting
Nottinghamshire Police have confirmed they are working closely with the Prison Service to establish the circumstances of the deaths. Detective Inspector James Oakton said the families of the two men are being supported by specialist officers. “Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time,” he added.
The Prison Service declined to comment in detail, citing the ongoing police investigation and the forthcoming inquest process. A spokesperson said the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman would investigate each death in custody independently, and that the Service would respond to any findings in due course.
For now, the wings at Ranby remain silent. Lockdown continues. And across the estate, other governors will be watching closely — knowing that a single bad batch can turn a routine week into a major incident in hours.
Why it Matters
This incident lays bare the persistent failure to stem the tide of synthetic drugs into British prisons, years after inspectors first sounded the alarm. Two families have lost loved ones in state custody; dozens of other prisoners have been exposed to a substance that nearly killed them. Until the supply routes — drones, throw-overs, corruption — are meaningfully disrupted, every jail in the country remains one contaminated batch away from the next crisis.
