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 jails has actually been jailed.


An estimated 75% of drone drops across London's prisons were due to the 7 guys 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 said: "This highly organised gang believed they were outmaneuvering the authorities and prison authorities. What they didn't know is they underwent sustained specialist surveillance by Met officers."


All seven men 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 jails. The hearing was held at Hendon Magistrates' Court, where some Harrow Crown Court cases 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 shows a few of the gang connecting fishing wire to a drone which was connected to a bundle and melted using a lighter to secure 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 who was given leave to stay as a child in the UK in 2003.


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


He was explained in court as having the leading function behind practically every drop, organising flights, running the drones, co-ordinating motorists and lookouts, dealing with payments totalling more than ₤ 30,000, and interacting directly with prisoners using illegal smart phones inside the prisons.


His defence lawyer argued the 29-year-old had developed up financial obligations of about ₤ 30,000 from a gaming 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, capsules of Pregabalin called "new Valium", and tablets of Alprazolam commonly offered under the trademark name Xanax.


Another plan was obstructed inside Wandsworth Prison, after police alerted personnel of a drone flight to a specific cell. The package consisted of cannabis, cigarettes and 5 iPhones.


Financial examinations showed money being transferred from associates of serving detainees to fund the operation.


Last year, the chief inspector of jails Charlie Taylor alerted of the increased danger drones would posture for smuggling weapons and drugs into jails.