GANGS are raking in £50,000-a-time by flying drones packed with contraband into jails.
Two-man teams use sophisticated electronics to transport phones, drugs and even takeaways into cells.
A £20 mobile can change hands for £2,000 in a prison, while a piece of paper soaked in Spice or cocaine fetches £1,000 a time.
A former lag who has spent almost 20 years at jails including Manchester and Hull, revealed: “Some gangs are raking in £50,000 a go. If you put five phones on a drone and deliver them, that’s £10,000.
“Drugs change hands for huge amounts, and lots of sheets can be attached to a drone. Some prisoners are even ordering McDonald’s and KFC meals to show off.”
Gangs employ a pilot for the drone, also called “eagle”, and a spotter who liaises with a con inside the jail.
Incidents at prisons involving drones rose by 770 per cent between 2019 and 2023.
And cops recently recovered 500 phones at Manchester jail.
The Ministry of Justice said: “We are investing £40million in security, including £10million on windows, grilles and netting.”
