Drones caught f lying drugs or mobile phones into jail every five days

PRISON officers are catching one drone every five days trying to smuggle drugs, weapons and mobile phones into jails.

A specialist squad set up to tackle the problem has recovered 120 remote- controlled devices flying contraband into prisons since January last year.

It has led to 17 people being convicted, and they are now serving jail sentences totalling more than 50 years.

The new unit is spearheading a national crackdown on drones targeting prisons, where the trade of illicit goods is fuelling violence, self-harm and disorder among inmates. Drones either fly over high walls and barbed-wire fences and drop packages where they can be picked up by inmates, or hover outside cell windows where the goods can be grabbed.

Working with law enforcement chiefs and HM Prison and Probation Service, the 40-strong team of prison and police officers uses the recovered drones to identify and track down the criminal gangs trying to smuggle in contraband.

Ministers are concerned the problem is being driven by crime gangs who can rake in tens of thousands of pounds for sneaking illicit items to prisons.

Prisons minister Sam Gyimah said yesterday: ‘I am determined to stem the flow of drugs into our prisons. Our vigilant prison staff work hard to prevent contraband getting into establishments and these figures show their efforts are working.

‘We are clear that those who peddle drugs in an attempt to thwart reform should face the full force of the law, which means police investigation and extra time behind bars.’

The Ministry of Justice said it was vital to disrupt the flow of drugs and mobile phones, which hinder attempts to create safe prisons where offenders have the chance to turn their lives around through rehabilitation.

In May, two men who used drones to fly drugs into prisons were jailed for a total of more than ten years.

Tomas Natalevicius, 35, of no fixed address, was sentenced to seven years and eight months’ imprisonment and Dalius Zilinskas, 33, of Luton, got two years and eight months behind bars.

They had tried to fly contraband including cocaine and cannabis into HMP Pentonville in north London and HMP The Mount in Bovingdon, Hertfordshire, last year. Meanwhile, a joint operation between police and prison officers led to the conviction of Remo WhiteChanner and Romaine Gayle, both 24, from London.

In April, White-Channer was jailed for six years and six months and Gayle for four years and four months for trying to flood prisons across Hertfordshire, Suffolk and Kent with contraband worth £48,000.

Last year, Mr Gyimah raised the prospect of eagles being deployed to intercept drones after the birds of prey were used successfully in Holland.