Gang That Utilized Drones For Prison Drops Jailed

Frankie McCamleyHendon Magistrates' Court


Harry LowLondon


A gang that used drones to smuggle drugs, weapons and cellphones into prisons has actually been imprisoned.


An estimated 75% of drone drops throughout London's prisons was because of the 7 men 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 said: "This highly organised gang believed they were outmaneuvering the authorities and prison authorities. What they didn't understand is they underwent continual professional monitoring by Met officers."


All 7 males admitted their roles in a "severe, organised, and prolific business" to supply Class B and C drugs, and conveying list A and B short articles into jails. The hearing was held at Hendon Magistrates' Court, where some Harrow Crown are being heard.


The guys would travel by vehicle to the jails, typically in the early hours of the early morning, and fly plans filled with contraband through cell windows.


CCTV video reveals a few of the gang attaching fishing wire to a drone which was connected to a package and melted utilizing 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 given leave to remain as a child in the UK in 2003.


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


He was explained in court as having the leading function behind nearly every drop, organising flights, operating the drones, co-ordinating motorists and lookouts, dealing with payments totalling more than ₤ 30,000, and communicating straight with detainees using illegal mobile phones inside the jails.


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


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


It consisted of marijuana, capsules of Pregabalin known as "brand-new Valium", and tablets of Alprazolam typically offered under the trademark name Xanax.


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


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


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