Weight-loss drugs and hair-loss treatments are among the lifestyle products being flown into UK prisons by drones, according to the country's chief prison inspector. Charlie Taylor said the fleets of drones routinely surpassing security systems represent a 'new paradigm' for the prison system, posing a major security threat.
Location technologies such as What3Words have improved delivery accuracy, while drones have become increasingly advanced, capable of delivering packages weighing up to 10kg. Taylor expressed concern that besides cocaine, ketamine, methamphetamine and cannabis, drones could be used to smuggle guns, explosives or other weapons, potentially aiding a prison break.
Speaking on The Spectator's Coffee House podcast, Taylor said a head of security recently sent him a list of package contents that was 'astonishing'. As well as weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro, prisoners are receiving hair-loss medication such as minoxidil and anabolic steroids. Organised crime gangs are dropping off large amounts of contraband with real accuracy, making enormous profits.
At HMP Manchester, inspectors found prisoners dismantling electric kettles to melt holes in perspex windows to receive drone deliveries. Workers at the window-fitting company were later threatened at home by criminal gangs. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick warned: 'Our prisons are under siege from drones. Unless the government acts, it's only a matter of time before a weapon or explosives are delivered to a prisoner.'
The government faces pressure to act amid other prison issues, including 91 accidental prisoner releases since April. Justice secretary David Lammy said four wrongly released prisoners may still be at large. A No 10 spokesperson blamed the situation on the previous Conservative government, describing it as 'symptomatic of a system under severe strain'.
Ministry of Justice figures show drone sightings in prisons soared from 138 in the year to March 2021 to 1,712 in the year to March 2025 – almost five per day. Tom Wheatley, president of the Prison Governors' Association, said drones are a 'significant and growing problem, with drops happening every day'.
