A gang that used drones to smuggle drugs, weapons and phones into prisons has been jailed by a judge who likened their operation to “Uber Eats or Deliveroo”.

Harrow Crown Court heard that Shafaghatullah Mohseni, 29, had orchestrated dozens of “drops” to inmates across London and southeast England between 2 December 2024 and 26 February last year.

Jurors were also told that Hashim Al Hussaini, 28; Mohammed Hamoud, 22; Faiz Salah, 29; Zahar Essaghi, 51; Mustafa Ibrahim, 30; and Emanuel Fisniku, 25; assisted the operation by acting as lookouts and drivers, and also received payments for the illicit shipments.

According to the Metropolitan Police, the seven would travel by car to the prisons, often in the early hours of the morning, and fly packages filled with contraband through cell windows.

The force added that the gang was responsible for 75% of all drone drops into London prisons between December 2024 and February 2025.

Smuggling with drones has become an increasing problem for UK jails in recent years. Last month one prison governor told Sky News it had gone from “haphazard” local criminals, to gangs specialising in drone drops.

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Harrow Crown Court, sitting at Hendon Magistrates’ Court, heard at least two flick knives were among contraband planned to be smuggled into the prisons by Mohseni’s operation, as well as packages of drugs including cannabis, Xanax and Valium, and tiny mobile phones that could be hidden from guards.

Sentencing the gang on Tuesday, Judge James Lofthouse said prison guards struggled to take down the “well-oiled conspiracy” – despite seeing the drones making the drop-offs at cell windows late at night or in the early hours – because of staff shortages.

Guards could at times see “prisoners were stuffing items behind pipes” through the door hatch of their cells, he added, only for the illicit goods to disappear by the time there were enough staff available for a search.

Describing the conspiracy, the judge said inmates had items delivered “to order… as if by Uber Eats or Deliveroo”, and criticised the “corrosive” impact on prison safety and security from drones arriving with packages.

“Those who conspire for profit to flood our prisons with drugs and mobile phones, and are heedless to whatever else, including weapons they smuggle in, facilitate further criminality, and undermine the general running and good order of our prisons”, he added.

Nine prisons targeted by drone gang

Mohseni, referred to in court as the “grand delivery driver”, was sentenced to five years and three months in prison.

Al-Hussaini, Hamoud, and Essaghi were all sentenced to 33 months in prison, while Salah was jailed for 31 months, Ibrahim received a sentence of 30 months, and Fisniku received 27 months.

During the trial, the court heard that the offenders had targeted at least nine prisons – including Wormwood Scrubs, Brixton, Pentonville and Wandsworth in London; and Norwich, and Leicester.

Police arrested Mohseni, Al-Hussaini, Hamoud, and Fisniku travelling by car to a drop at HMP Norwich on 26 February last year after being tipped off that a knife was going to be smuggled into the prison.

They found a JD sports bag in the car with a drone, two packages containing phones and cannabis, and a knife.

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The prosecution accepted that the conspirators “may not have been aware” that one of the flights contained a flick knife, but added that “the fact is they did convey one of the knives”.

Close relatives of prisoners were found to have sent large sums of money to Mohseni, as payment for the items, the court heard.

“The headline is that Mr Mohseni received £26,785 from 14 individuals who are directly linked to a serving prisoner, at a prison where he was delivering items,” the prosecution said.