Female prison officer in sexual relationship with 'Latvian Pablo Escobar' convict is jailed for eight months

Published: 16:43, 7 August 2026 | Updated: 16:46, 7 August 2026 A female prison officer who started a sexual relationship with a convict who called himself the 'Latvian Pablo Escobar' has been jailed for eight months.  Jahvine Kwamba swapped over 12,000 messages with inmate Roberts Sokolovs in less than four months when he was transferred to the wing she was working on at HMP Fosse Way in Leicester.  The 21-year-old then stayed in touch with Sokolovs once he was moved to an immigration removal centre for deportation to his homeland – sending further messages, including a string of sexually explicit ones.  Leicester Crown Court today heard Kwamba also received thousands of pounds from Venera and Zita Sokolova respectively – the younger sister and mother of Sokolovs, who was convicted in 2022 of involvement in a 'county lines' drug ring.  She admitted misconduct in a public office and unauthorised transmission of an image or sound by electronic communication within a prison at an earlier hearing. Sentencing today (FRI), Judge Tim Spencer KC told her the offending, carried out between February and June 2024, 'struck at the heart of the criminal justice system'. He added: 'You were a prison officer. However one looks at it, the only appropriate sentence is one of immediate custody. 'You were young, and I strongly suspect you were lonely.  The judge said Jahvine Kwamba (pictured leaving Leicester Crown Court after an earlier hearing) was 'easy prey and easy pickings' for the inmate Roberts Sokolovs had previously referred to himself as the 'Latvian Pablo Escobar' in reference to the dead Colombian drug lord 'You were easy prey and easy pickings for Sokolovs, who obviously decided he could exploit you, but your conduct was not a one-off, it was happening repeatedly, almost on a daily basis, either the exchange of messages or the receiving of money. 'Both were wholly inappropriate.' The judge said Kwamba had 'extensive training' and knew the importance of high standards and not exposing herself to risk, but told her: 'The moment you begin such a relationship you expose yourself to all sorts of risk, not least blackmail, or coercion by him or other prisoners.' Venera Sokolova, 19, and 53-year-old Zita, both of Skelmersdale, Lancashire, pleaded guilty to transmitting or causing the transmission of an image by electronic communications from inside HMP Fosse Way without authorisation, in that they took part in calls with Sokolovs. Venera was given a 12-month community order, while Zita was handed a four-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, and told to pay £400 costs.  The court heard Kwamba, of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, began working at the jail in January 2024 as a House Block Officer after being seconded there from a prison in her home town – with Sokolovs moved to her wing nine days later.  Rawaid Javed, prosecuting, said 'intelligence reports' were subsequently received 'in regards to concerning conduct' between the pair – and as a result, an investigation of Kwamba's finances revealed she had been receiving payments from the Sokolovas. Kwamba was arrested in July 2024 on suspicion of misconduct in a public office. Meanwhile, Sokolovs had been moved to Brook House immigration removal centre at Gatwick Airport, where staff discovered a hidden mobile phone which police were unable to access. The court heard that shortly before her arrest, Kwamba tried to visit Sokolovs at the centre, but was refused entry because she smelled of cannabis.  However, the pair were in contact over 4,000 times via phone while he was based there – although this did not represent a criminal offence. Mr Javed said messages recovered included explicit images and videos sent from Kwamba to Sokolovs, with one entitled, 'So horny for you I swear'.  Sokolovs' replies included an explicit video and a message which read, 'I love you too, you are my sweet cheeks forever and I hope you know how much you mean to me'. Mr Javed told the hearing the content 'confirmed the nature of their relationship' and 'may be representative of their contact in prison'.  He said that during their time at HMP Fosse Way, Kwamba and Sokolovs had contacted each other a total of 6,889 times via mobile phone, and 5,441 times via the social media app Snapchat, but the content of the messages could not be recovered. Asked by judge Spencer if prosecutors were 'sceptical' about Kwamba's claims the pair never engaged in any 'physical sexual activity', Mr Javed confirmed they were. He added Sokolovs had been in contact with his mother and sister over 200 times via phone while he was at HMP Fosse Way.  Financial records showed Kwamba received a total of £1,300 from Zita and £2,775 from Venera during his time at the jail, plus more cash once he was moved to the immigration centre. The court heard Kwamba answered no comment to most questions put to her by police after her arrest in interview. Sam Pooniah, defending, said she was now working as a car rental company office administrator and had completed a Level 2 business qualification. He said 'remorseful' Kwamba was just 19 at the time she met Sokolovs, working away from home for the first time, and had a 'significant level of naivety and immaturity that should go into assessing culpability'.  Jonathan Dunne, defending the Sokolovas, both from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, said that they 'maintain they did not realise' Kwamba was a prison officer, and thought he was just Sokolovs' girlfriend. Judge Spencer told the two women they 'could not have come closer' to following Kwamba to jail. Sokolovs was part of an organised network jailed for moving heroin and crack-cocaine between Lancashire and Lincoln. Sokolovs, who referred to himself as the 'Latvian Pablo Escobar' in reference to the dead Colombian drug lord, admitted conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.  He was jailed for six years and two months in January 2023.