Gang That Utilized 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 jailed.


An approximated 75% of drone drops across London's jails was because of the seven guys who targeted jails consisting of 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 thought they were outmaneuvering the cops and prison authorities. What they didn't know is they went through sustained specialist monitoring by Met officers."


All seven men admitted their functions in a "severe, organised, and prolific enterprise" to supply Class B and C drugs, and conveying list A and B short articles into jails. The hearing was held at Court, where some Harrow Crown Court cases are being heard.


The males would travel by automobile to the prisons, frequently in the early hours of the morning, and fly plans filled with contraband through cell windows.


CCTV footage shows a few of the gang attaching fishing wire to a drone which was connected to a plan and melted utilizing a lighter to protect it. This was then flown to the prisoners in their cells.


The gang also targeted jails 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 five years and three months and will serve a minimum of 40% of that.


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


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


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


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


Another bundle was intercepted inside Wandsworth Prison, after police alerted staff of a drone flight to a specific cell. The plan contained cannabis, cigarettes and five iPhones.


Financial examinations revealed cash being transferred from associates of serving detainees to money the operation.


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