A man has been arrested after flying a drone carrying drugs and mobile phones near a maximum security prison in County Laois, Ireland.
An Garda Síochána confirmed that a man aged in his 20’s was arrested following the seizure of a drone which contained mobile phones, chargers and drugs.
According to a Garda statement, the drone was discovered at St John’s Square near the maximum security Portlaoise Prison as part of an ongoing investigation by the Laois Offaly Divisional Drugs Unit.
Upon investigation, the drone was found to be carrying a package containing multiple mobile phones, chargers and quantities of crack cocaine, cocaine and cannabis with a combined estimated value of €5,000.
The suspected drugs are currently undergoing laboratory analysis to confirm their substance and value.
Gardaí confirmed they have arrested a man in his 20’s and seized the drone and a further two vehicles in connection with the investigation.
The suspect was detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996, at Portlaoise Garda Station.
He appeared before Naas District Court this morning, 8 January 2021, according to a Garda spokesperson.
Photos: An Garda Síochána
Source: The Irish Post
This is a global problem and one that is not easy to prevent. The delivery of contraband in prisons has been made easier since the introduction of drones and their affordability. It also sometimes very difficult to identify and apprehend the perpetrators due to the remote locations that drones can operate from and often at quite some considerable distance from the delivery location. One possible solution is SkyWall Patrol, a physical drone net-capture system that has proven its ability to capture nefarious drones with very low collateral damage. More importantly, physical net-capture offers the rare opportunity to forensically examine the captured drone and aid in identifying and prosecuting offenders. There is no silver bullet solution to nefarious drone in a prison environment and each counter-drone system will have its limitations however something needs to be done to reduce what is almost a daily occurrence at some prisons.