Edinburgh prisoners use a drone to smuggle illegal goods into jail

AuthorEdinburgh Live
Published date04 April 2023
Publication titleEdinburghLive (Scotland)
The number of drones being flown into jail grounds has soared recently – with nine unauthorised devices detected by prison bosses in the last three months alone

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) says it is using "all technological and intelligence tools available" to tackle the issue of drugs being brought into the estate.

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But the figures, released to justice magazine 1919 following a Freedom of Information request, reveal a growing trend.

HMP Edinburgh has had the most recorded incidents of drones being detected, totalling 11 since 2021. HMP Perth ranks the second highest, with five incidents since 2018.

There has been a particularly sharp rise since 2021 following the introduction of a policy to photocopy prisoners' mail to stop inmates receiving psychoactive substances which were being sprayed onto the pieces of paper.

Between August 2020 and July 2021, almost 9,000 items of mail sent into Scottish jails tested positive for an illegal drug.

But since the policy of photocopying mail was introduced in December 2021, the number of drug-related incidents fell dramatically, from 305 in the November of that year to 131 the following month.

This means criminals are exploring new ways of smuggling drugs into prisons.

Scottish Conservative justice spokesperson Jamie Greene said: "It is clear criminals are now using drones to try and smuggle dangerous drugs and contraband into the prison estate. Thanks to the Scottish Conservatives we forced an end to drug soaked mail and post getting into cells, but organised gangs will stop at nothing to infiltrate prisons.

"SNP ministers cannot make the same mistakes they did when they dithered and delayed over our demands to stop the postal peddling of drugs. They must take...

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