JAIL SMUGGLERS’ SUPER DRONES
Two £1.5k aircraft ‘loaded with drugs’ crash on to roof
TWO of the most expensive drones on sale were found crashed on the roof of a notorious jail.
The US-made Yuneec Typhoons have a highdefinition camera that can swivel 360 degrees and cost about £1,500.
Two of the drones were recovered from the roof of Liverpool prison, which has a huge drug problem.
A source said: “This shows that criminals are investing in sophisticated drones because the profits are huge.
“They are willing to risk losing a machine worth
£1,500 in order to make 10 times that amount in drug money. The tech on these drones is amazing.”
The drones were found crashed next to each other on F-wing at the category B facility, which was recently named as one of the worst in Britain.
No contraband was found on them and the source added: “The fear is the drugs and mobiles had already been delivered.”
The Yuneec Typhoon
H520 costs £1,400 and the Typhoon H Plus is £1,550.
Glyn Travis of the Prison Officers Association said: “This shows that criminals are willing to invest in technology because of the profits.
“They do not fear losing two drones worth £3,000 because they believe they will make that back in a short time.
“We need more prison officers now to deal with this increasing threat.”
Liverpool jail has been plagued by drone drug deliveries. In October, inmates threw books and other items at officers trying to retrieve contraband spilled by a drone.
The machine, which also crashed on F-wing, spilled the contraband on to the exercise yard.
Lags in cells overlooking the incident sparked the trouble and among items recovered were tobacco, drugs, steroids and mobile phone chargers.
Last year, HM Inspector of Prisons condemned Liverpool for having the worst conditions its inspectors had seen.
The scathing report described rats, drugs and “decrepit” facilities at the Victorian prison.
Drones carrying drugs and other illicit items were described as a “substantial problem”, with staff recovering 32 in six months.
Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke said: “The inspection team was highly experienced and could not recall having seen worse living conditions than those at HMP Liverpool.”