Two Men Jailed Over Prison Drone Smuggling Plot

Jordan Lee, 30, and Keanu Barnett, 24, have received prison sentences for their involvement in a plot that utilized a drone to introduce illicit substances into a correctional facility. The two individuals participated in a conspiracy in 2020 to smuggle cannabis and additional prohibited articles into a prison located in Nottinghamshire. Following the drone’s deployment in the vicinity of HMP Ranby, investigators successfully tracked the perpetrators to Barnett’s residence in Coventry. At this location, authorities recovered the drone itself along with packages containing cannabis. Both Lee and Barnett admitted guilt to the charge of conspiracy to bring a prohibited article into prison, resulting in respective jail terms of 18 months for Lee and 14 months for Barnett. According to detectives, mobile phones and SIM cards were found at the property. Analysis of these devices revealed a pattern where Lee would meet Barnett at his Coventry home, after which they would proceed to Ranby to operate the drone in the direction of the prison. Investigations conducted within the prison uncovered a concealed mobile phone in use by an inmate. This device held records of bank transactions directed to both Lee and Barnett. Lee, residing on Parkwood Street in Northampton, and Barnett, from Crediton Close in Coventry, received their sentences at Warwick Crown Court on 4 December.