Prison bosses are fighting back against drone drug drops with their own tiny aircraft.
Governors are using their own drones and radio signal blocking technology against criminal gangs that use the gadgets to drop packages of drugs.
Crack cocaine, heroin, speed and skunk cannabis are the drugs most commonly sneaked over prison walls by drones which put lags at risk of overdose, addiction and violence on wings.
A source said: “Technology has evolved and the prison estate must move with the times to stop this trade.”
A pilot scheme using a so-called “guard drone” was run at HMP Wealstun, near Wetherby, West Yorks.
It started after a report revealed drugs were so rife there that inmates were being served them from trolleys alongside their dinner. The trade is also made worse by corrupted members of staff who bring in supplies from outside.
Jail watchdog the Independent Monitoring Board said in a report that measures to beef up security at Wealstun included “use of a prison drone to detect security breaches”.
It added: “A range of technological and other resources available to the prison is clearly having a positive impact on identifying inbound illicit items.
“The management team has focused attention on a range of entry and distribution points including via kitchen trollies, visits to prisoners, prisoner receptions, throw-overs and drones.”
In 2018 seven gang members who used drones were jailed at Birmingham Crown Court for supplying drugs worth half a million pounds at seven prisons.
A Prison Service spokesman said of jails using their own drones: “This is part of our £125million prison security investment to stop contraband entering prisons, improving safety, cutting re-offending and tackling serious crime.”
