Parcel deliveries by drone are no longer a thing of the future. Various companies are already testing the possibility of delivering goods to the recipient by air. In Liverpool, a dubious “startup” put the idea into practice and operated a very special drone delivery service: The gang flew drugs and cell phones to prison on request. As the newspaper “Liverpool Echo” reports, the police put an end to the activity. Those involved now had to answer in court.
According to the newspaper, the public prosecutor reported that an unusually large number of drone flights were noticed in the area of the prison in April 2022. Police began tracking the flights. During the course of the investigation, investigators discovered that the drones took off and landed on a street near the correctional facility.
The officers then came across the drone pilot and the others involved. It turns out that the gang had flown cigarettes, drugs and cell phones into prison on at least 30 flights. During a search of the apartment, investigators found a prepared drone in a kitchen with a package containing tobacco, cannabis, ketamine and two cell phones ready for delivery. With the drone found, the police were also able to draw a more precise picture of the flights that took place between January and April 2022.
It is said that the roles in the gang were clearly assigned. There was an observer alongside the pilot who made sure the drones didn’t attract unwanted attention and also received calls from the prison – presumably with orders, among other things. There was also a cannabis dealer and the ex-girlfriend of the gang leader, who made her apartment available as a base for at least a while, it was said.
The presiding judge described the activities as a professional, well-organized operation that lasted for months and brought in thousands of pounds for those involved. The smuggled drugs also gave reckless prisoners in the prison sinister power. The drones themselves posed a danger to passers-by. According to the “Liverpool Echo”, three of those involved have now been sentenced to prison terms themselves, and some sentences are still pending, according to the report.
Those: “Liverpool Echo”
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