US inmate who concealed gun internally sentenced to 10 years

Amy Wilhite pleaded guilty to the charge of concealing the tiny gun. Photo / Supplied

A US woman has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after smuggling a loaded gun into jail by concealing it in a body cavity.

Amy Wilhite, 39, from the state of Missouri pleaded guilty to a felony indictment of "delivery or concealment" of the small .22 calibre revolver, which was found loaded with five rounds.

The Smoking Gun website reported that court documents showed that Wilhie accepted a plea deal.

A statement from the Boone County Sheriff's Office revealed that Wilhite was initially arrested on a range of drug and firearm charges on Valentine's Day in the town of Moberly.

A pat-down and later strip search did not uncover anything untoward and Wilhite was booked into custody.

Over two weeks after her arrest, staff at the Boone County Jail found the tiny gun hidden in her personal belongings.

Police believed that Wilhite had the gun "concealed within a body cavity" when she was initially arrested.

The small revolver was 10cm long and weighed only 113g.

During questioning, Wilhite claimed she was just holding the gun for another inmate but her fellow detainees "all stated Amy was in possession of the firearm", an investigator reported.

Wilhite's case echoes a disturbing 2019 case from the US state of Louisiana, which saw a 24-year-old man conceal a loaded handgun in his rear end.

Justin Savoie, 24, from Louisiana pleaded guilty to weapons charges over the incident that saw him rumbled for trying to hide the .25 calibre Titan which has a 6.3cm barrel and was loaded at the time.