Jail targeted in drug drone blitz

THREE drones carrying contraband were flown into a prison in a single day, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

The drones – packed full of drugs, mobile phones and SIM cards – crash-landed in the grounds of Liverpool jail.

It is thought to be the biggestever amount of contraband to be flown into a prison using drones.

One source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘They were state-of-theart. Each was worth hundreds of pounds and the discovery of three at a time is unprecedented.’

The latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show there were 33 incidents involving drones at prisons last year, with 11 seized and found to be carrying contraband.

There has been a huge rise in the number of cases this year and officials are desperate to find ways to stop the machines being flown in. Last week, Justice Secretary Liz Truss was ridiculed in Parliament when she said barking patrol dogs helped deter the devices.

The incident at Liverpool began early on November 29 when a drone was spotted on the roof of an internal walkway. The next morning, officers found two more that had come in overnight, and they searched cells to see if the cargo had been intercepted.

Glyn Travis, of the Prison Officers Association, said: ‘Three drones in a day is unprecedented. This illustrates the scope of the problem. And it is getting worse.’