Gang That Used Drones For Prison Drops Jailed
Frankie McCamleyHendon Magistrates' Court
Harry LowLondon
A gang that used drones to smuggle drugs, weapons and smart phones into jails has actually been imprisoned.
An approximated 75% of drone drops across London's jails were due to the 7 men who targeted jails including Wormwood Scrubs, Brixton, Pentonville and Wandsworth.
Shafaghatullah Mohseni, 29, Hashim Al-Hussaini, 28, Mohammed Hamoud, 22, Faiz Salah, 29, Zahar Essaghi, 51, Mustafa Ibrahim, 30, and Emanuel Fisniku, 25, were sentenced at Harrow Crown Court.
Det Insp John Cowell stated: "This highly organised gang believed they were outsmarting the police and prison authorities. What they didn't understand is they were subject to sustained expert surveillance by Met officers."
All 7 men admitted their roles in a "serious, organised, and respected enterprise" to provide Class B and C drugs, and conveying list A and B articles into prisons. The hearing was held at Hendon Magistrates' Court, where some Harrow Crown Court cases are being heard.
The guys would take a trip by automobile to the jails, typically in the early hours of the morning, and fly packages filled with contraband through cell windows.
CCTV video shows a few of the gang attaching fishing wire to a drone which was connected to a package and melted using a lighter to protect it. This was then flown to the prisoners in their cells.
The gang also targeted prisons in Norwich, Leicester, Onley in Northamptonshire and Bedford.
At the centre of the conspiracy was Mohseni, an Afghan national who was granted leave to remain as a child in the UK in 2003.
He was sentenced to 5 years and 3 months and will serve at least 40% of that.
He was explained in court as having the leading role behind almost every drop, arranging flights, operating the drones, co-ordinating chauffeurs and lookouts, dealing with payments totalling more than ₤ 30,000, and communicating straight with detainees utilizing illicit smart phones inside the jails.
His defence barrister argued the 29-year-old had actually up debts of about ₤ 30,000 from a gambling addiction and feared for his security.
The court heard that a person drone crashed and was taken by the authorities at HMP Wandsworth.
It consisted of marijuana, capsules of Pregabalin called "brand-new Valium", and tablets of Alprazolam typically offered under the trademark name Xanax.
Another plan was intercepted inside Wandsworth Prison, after police alerted personnel of a drone flight to a particular cell. The plan consisted of marijuana, cigarettes and 5 iPhones.
Financial investigations revealed cash being moved from partners of serving detainees to money the operation.
In 2015, the chief inspector of jails Charlie Taylor warned of the increased threat drones would posture for smuggling weapons and drugs into jails.