Organised crime gangs are operating a new lifestyle drug market inside British prisons, offering weight-loss and hair-loss medications alongside traditional illegal drugs, according to a scathing report by Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor. The report reveals that prisoners can order drugs such as Ozempic, Minoxidil, and anabolic steroids via drone deliveries, with gangsters seemingly operating with impunity.
Gangs Exploit Prisoners with Lifestyle Drugs
Charlie Taylor stated that organised crime gangs are offering weight-loss and hair-loss drugs in jails, creating a new “lifestyle” market. He warned that criminals can “pick off a menu” of drugs because gangsters are flooding prisons with contraband. Taylor noted that kingpins “seem to operate with impunity” and make “enormous amounts of money” despite being incarcerated.
In his annual report, Taylor said: “This just shows the scale of the problem the Prison Service is facing. Along with weight-loss drugs and others for hair loss, prisoners can buy anabolic steroids along with illegal drugs like cannabis and ketamine. Prisoners in some jails are able to pick off a menu, choosing from a range of different drugs.”
Drones Transform Prison Drug Market
The report highlights how drone technology has revolutionised drug smuggling into prisons. Taylor explained: “The ability of criminals to use drones to deliver contraband has transformed the drugs market within many prisons. The technology has become more advanced and the packages larger. This means as well as commonly used drugs such as spice, ketamine and cocaine, prisoners are now able to order cannabis and lifestyle drugs such as Ozempic, Minoxidil (for hair loss) and anabolic steroids as well as mobile phones, memory sticks and chargers.”
Taylor described an alarming assessment that prison governors were “losing the fight against criminality.” Wings designed to encourage prisoners to go clean are “overrun by drugs,” the report found. It stated: “Frustration, boredom and despair are driving the demand for drugs across the estate and yet the prison service has failed to reduce this demand. Apart from a handful of exceptions, incentivised substance free living (ISFL) wings, designed to support prisoners to remain drug-free, are rarely effective in supporting the recovery of the many addicts in jail. In some cases, ISFL wings are overrun by drugs and others are populated by organised crime gang members who opt to live apart from the chaos they have created elsewhere in the prison.”
Government Response and Independent Review
Prisons minister Lord Timpson responded to the report, saying: “This report rightly highlights the serious challenges that remain in our prisons while noting encouraging signs of progress, with 76% of recent inspections finding improvement, reflecting the dedication of prison staff working every day to turn lives around. There is much more to do, which is why we’ve also asked former Conservative Home Secretary Amber Rudd to lead an independent review that will help shape the next phase of reform – building on these green shoots to make our prisons safer and more secure, strengthen rehabilitation and better protect the public.”
The report reiterated warnings of gangs controlling the airspace over prisons with drones, adding: “A failure across Government to take this national security threat seriously means that many prisons are losing the fight against criminality. Senior figures in organised crime gangs seem to operate with impunity, building up successful prison networks that make enormous amounts of money. They exploit the many drug-addicted, mentally ill prisoners, whose families are often having to pay off substantial debts to prevent their son or partner from being assaulted.”
