Men jailed for prison drone drug drops

Simon Woodall (left) and Josh Morris, both from the Brierley Hill area of Dudley, were sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court on Monday

Two men have been jailed for attempting to smuggle packages containing illegal goods such as phones and drugs into prisons using drones.

Simon Woodall and Josh Morris, both 32 and from Brierley Hill in Dudley, pleaded guilty in November to using unmanned aerial vehicles to fly the packages into prisons in England.

Woodall was jailed for 30 months at Peterborough Crown Court on Monday.

Morris, who also admitted dangerous driving and driving while disqualified, was jailed for 42 months.

One delivery was found to contain phones, tobacco, memory cards and data dongles

Police said that between August 2023 and February 2024, Woodall and Morris attempted to smuggle Class A and B drugs, prescription medications, smartphones, memory cards, data dongles and tobacco into prisons in County Durham, Leicestershire, Cambridgeshire, Greater Manchester, Wiltshire, Lancashire and Yorkshire and the Humber.

They transported the goods using drones, alongside flight mapping and control software.

Police seized a number of drones used by the pair

Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU) opened an investigation after Morris was arrested near HMP Frankland in County Durham.

Police said the investigation involved partners from across the UK and His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service.

Det Insp Ollie Scoones said it was "a complex investigation".

"The sentencing sends a clear message to those involved in serious organised crime that the YHROCU will continue to dismantle their operations, pursue prosecutions and prevent them from benefitting from the proceeds of criminal activity to protect communities from the harm they cause."