Kent man jailed for drone drug smuggling

Stealing a march on Amazon and Google, delivery drones are already in operation.

Kent Police detectives investigating a report that a drone was used to send banned items into a prison have secured the UK’s first sentencing for this type of offence.

Daniel Kelly, 37 and formerly of Grove Park in London, was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment for the offence at Maidstone Crown Court on Wednesday 20 July 2016.

He admitted sending items, including spice, a psychoactive substance, and tobacco, into two prisons in Kent and another in Hertfordshire.  

Analysis of the device’s storage drive revealed it had made flights to HMP Elmley in Kent on 20 April, HMP The Mount in Hertfordshire, on 23 and 24 April and HMP Swaleside on 25 April.

There were also two unsuccessful attempts to fly the drone into HMP Wandsworth, in south-west London, on 17 and 21 April.

This is just the sort of thing that is selling drone defence systems like this.