Gang That Used Drones For Prison Drops Jailed
Frankie McCamleyHendon Magistrates' Court
Harry LowLondon
A gang that utilized drones to smuggle drugs, weapons and cellphones into prisons has actually been imprisoned.
An approximated 75% of drone drops throughout London's jails were due to the 7 men who targeted prisons 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 outsmarting the cops and jail authorities. What they didn't understand is they underwent sustained professional security by Met officers."
All 7 guys admitted their roles in a "major, organised, and respected enterprise" to provide Class B and C drugs, and communicating list A and B articles into prisons. The hearing was held at Hendon Magistrates' Court, where some Harrow Crown Lawsuit are being heard.
The guys would take a trip by cars and truck to the prisons, typically in the early hours of the early morning, and fly bundles filled with contraband through cell windows.
CCTV video footage reveals a few of the gang connecting fishing wire to a drone which was connected to a package and melted using a lighter to secure it. This was then flown to the detainees 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 nationwide 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 described in court as having the leading function behind nearly every drop, arranging flights, the drones, co-ordinating drivers and lookouts, handling payments totalling more than ₤ 30,000, and communicating straight with prisoners utilizing illegal cellphones inside the jails.
His defence lawyer argued the 29-year-old had built 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 marijuana, pills of Pregabalin known as "new Valium", and tablets of Alprazolam frequently sold under the trademark name Xanax.
Another bundle was intercepted inside Wandsworth Prison, after authorities informed personnel of a drone flight to a particular cell. The package consisted of marijuana, cigarettes and 5 iPhones.
Financial examinations revealed money being moved from partners of serving detainees to fund the operation.
Last year, the chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor alerted of the increased danger drones would pose for smuggling weapons and drugs into prisons.
