Gang That Used Drones For Prison Drops Jailed

Frankie McCamleyHendon Magistrates' Court


Harry LowLondon


A gang that utilized drones to smuggle drugs, weapons and mobile phones into prisons has actually been jailed.


An approximated 75% of drone drops across London's jails was because of the seven males who targeted prisons 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 said: "This highly organised gang thought they were outsmarting the cops and prison authorities. What they didn't understand is they underwent continual expert security by Met officers."


All seven men admitted their functions in a "serious, organised, and respected enterprise" to supply Class B and C drugs, and conveying list A and B posts into jails. The hearing was held at Hendon Magistrates' Court, where some Harrow Crown Lawsuit are being heard.


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


CCTV video footage shows a few of the gang connecting fishing wire to a drone which was tied to a package and melted using a lighter to protect it. This was then flown to the detainees 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 kid in the UK in 2003.


He was sentenced to 5 years and 3 months and will serve a minimum of 40% of that.


He was described in court as having the leading role behind practically every drop, organising flights, running the drones, co-ordinating chauffeurs and lookouts, handling payments totalling more than ₤ 30,000, and interacting straight with detainees using illicit mobile phones inside the jails.


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


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


It consisted of marijuana, pills of Pregabalin referred to as "new Valium", and tablets of Alprazolam frequently offered under the brand Xanax.


Another plan was obstructed inside Wandsworth Prison, after police notified personnel of a drone flight to a particular cell. The package included marijuana, cigarettes and five iPhones.


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


Last year, the chief inspector of Taylor cautioned of the increased threat drones would position for smuggling weapons and drugs into jails.