Overview
- Britain’s chief inspector of prisons says drones now deliver illicit drugs alongside lifestyle medications, including Ozempic, Mounjaro, minoxidil and multiple anabolic steroids.
- Location tools such as what3words are boosting drop accuracy, and current platforms can ferry packages weighing about 10kg.
- Inspectors reported prisoners melting holes in new windows at HMP Manchester and using makeshift tools at HMP Garth to retrieve drops, with window fitters later threatened at home by criminal gangs.
- Recorded drone sightings in prisons climbed to 1,712 in the year to March 2025 from 138 in the year to March 2021, highlighting the pace of escalation.
- The Prison Officers’ Association and Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick are urging rapid adoption of counter-drone technology, pointing to Guernsey’s sky wall and French interception software as ready options.