Gang That Used Drones For Prison Drops Jailed

Frankie McCamleyHendon Magistrates' Court


Harry LowLondon


A gang that used drones to smuggle drugs, weapons and mobile phones into jails has actually been imprisoned.


An estimated 75% of drone drops throughout jails were due to the seven males 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 authorities and prison authorities. What they didn't understand is they underwent sustained professional security by Met officers."


All 7 men confessed their roles in a "major, organised, and prolific enterprise" to provide Class B and C drugs, and communicating list A and B posts into prisons. The hearing was held at Hendon Magistrates' Court, where some Harrow Crown Lawsuit are being heard.


The men would take a trip by car to the jails, often in the early hours of the morning, and fly bundles filled with contraband through cell windows.


CCTV video reveals some of the gang attaching fishing wire to a drone which was connected to a plan and melted using a lighter to secure it. This was then flown to the prisoners in their cells.


The gang likewise targeted prisons in Norwich, Leicester, Onley in Northamptonshire and Bedford.


At the centre of the conspiracy was Mohseni, an Afghan national who was approved leave to stay as a child in the UK in 2003.


He was sentenced to five years and 3 months and will serve a minimum of 40% of that.


He was described in court as having the leading function behind nearly every drop, arranging flights, operating the drones, co-ordinating drivers and lookouts, dealing with payments amounting to more than ₤ 30,000, and interacting directly with detainees utilizing illicit smart phones inside the prisons.


His defence barrister argued the 29-year-old had actually developed up debts of about ₤ 30,000 from a gambling dependency and feared for his security.


The court heard that a person drone crashed and was seized by the authorities at HMP Wandsworth.


It contained cannabis, pills of Pregabalin referred to as "brand-new Valium", and tablets of Alprazolam commonly sold under the brand name Xanax.


Another bundle was intercepted inside Wandsworth Prison, after cops informed personnel of a drone flight to a particular cell. The package contained cannabis, cigarettes and 5 iPhones.


Financial investigations showed money being transferred from partners of serving prisoners to money the operation.


In 2015, the chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor warned of the increased danger drones would pose for smuggling weapons and drugs into prisons.