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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Josh Halliday North of England editor

Gangs recruit skilled drone pilots to fly drugs and even ketchup into UK prisons

Drone Prison Chris McClellan Police GMP
The high wall at Strangeways prison in Manchester
Police are trying to prevent the sending of banned items into prisons by drone. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

Gangs are headhunting highly skilled drone pilots to make Amazon Prime-style deliveries of drugs, weapons and even condiments such as tomato ketchup to prison cell windows.

Police said organised crime groups were recruiting specialist aircraft operators to fly the highly lucrative missions, sometimes transporting several kilograms of contraband at a time.

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