Two men jailed for drone drug drop into HMP Lowdham Grange

Reece Dhaliwal and Jamie Simpson were each sentenced to two years and three months for smuggling cannabis into a Nottinghamshire prison by drone.

Cannabis and phone dropped into Nottinghamshire prison by drone

Nottinghamshire Police reports that two men have been jailed after using a drone to smuggle drugs into HMP Lowdham Grange. Reece Dhaliwal, 25, of Crampers Fields in Coventry, and Jamie Simpson, 29, of Gingham Drive in Bedworth, Warwickshire, were each sentenced to two years and three months at Nottingham Crown Court last week.

CCTV footage captured the drone incursion on 5 September 2023, shortly after 4pm, when a package was dropped into the prison grounds. Staff recovered the package and found it contained cannabis resin, deal bags, larger quantities of cannabis, and a mobile phone.

Officers were deployed to the surrounding area and identified a vehicle that had been in the vicinity of the prison immediately before the drop. A Peugeot van was traced to the Daybrook area, where it was followed and stopped by officers after it pulled into a retail park.

Dhaliwal and Simpson were found inside the van and arrested once prison staff confirmed details of the recovered package. A rucksack in the rear of the vehicle contained a drone, a drone controller, cannabis resin, pills, and two burner-style phones. Further cannabis and another burner phone were discovered in the front of the van.

Fingerprint analysis later placed both men in contact with items inside the package dropped into the prison. Both pleaded guilty to three counts of conveying prohibited items into a prison.

Detective Constable Robert McGhee, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Officers and prison staff liaised very closely to successfully recover the package and locate these two suspects where they were caught red-handed with the drone."

McGhee added that forensic evidence confirmed the pair had handled items within the dropped package, and credited joint working between police and prison staff for the outcome. "Smuggling drugs and other items into a prison is a serious offence because of the host of problems and dangers it creates for both inmates and staff," he said. "We will continue to work alongside prisons to prevent drone incursions from taking place."

Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)