Jury returns not guilty verdicts on a defendant charged with flying drugs into HMP Risley

At the conclusion of a week’s trial at Warrington Crown Court, in May 2017, Mr Jeremy Lasker secured the acquittal of his client from all charges of conspiring with others to fly Heroin, Cocaine, Spice and a number of mobile phones and sim cards into HMP Risley.

Police officers who were lying in wait in the woods surrounding the prison, arrested a man and seized from him a large professional drone which had contraband destined for inmates inside the prison stored in its undercarriage and worth in the region of £40,000 at prison rates.

In the course of a lengthy investigation by the police and the prison authorities, a number of inmates in addition to the pilot of the drone were charged with a number of conspiracies to supply drugs and to bring contraband material into prison. The Prosecution case was based substantially on illicit telephone traffic and messages from contraband mobile phones used within the prison to those on the outside. All other Defendants were convicted.