Man who flew drugs into prisons using drones jailed

A man who took a selfie with drones which were used to drop illegal drugs and contraband into prisons has been jailed.

Kaine Jones, was the head of a "sophisticated criminal operation" which involved repeated instances of drone incursions across England, Wales and Scotland, a West Mercia Police spokesperson said.

The 28-year-old was convicted of conspiracy to convey prohibited articles into or out of a prison and possession with intent to supply a class A drug, MDMA.

Jones, of Birmingham, was sentenced to six years in prison at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday.

A further charge of possession with intent to supply a class B drug, cannabis, was ordered to lie on file.

Jones came on to the radar of police following a series of incidents around drug drops into prisons dating back to June 2024, when a Toyota van was abandoned near HMP The Mount in Hertfordshire following a police pursuit.

Items found in the vehicle included a large drone and a parcel, which contained tobacco, cannabis, iPhones, SIM cards and small packages of Class A drugs, officers said.

A laptop seized from the same vehicle was found to include telematics linked to repeated drone flights and included calls made to HMP Mount, as well as HMP Bullingdon in Bicester, HMP Exeter and HMP Hull.

In August 2024, a large drone crashed at HMP Winchester and was recovered by police, with digital forensics linking it to a test flight carried out in the immediate vicinity of an address in Tillington Close, Redditch, where Jones was living at the time.

Jones was arrested by officers at Birmingham Airport arrivals on 30 September 2025.

Police said a search of his home address found keys to a Seat Leon car parked outside, which was linked to the prison drone drops.

The force said items recovered from the car included packages with drugs including cannabis resin and MDMA, with an estimated street value of more than £20,000, as well as items such as electronics, scales, forensic gloves and multiple mobile phones.

Police said digital forensics on the phones also revealed conversations around prices for drugs and drops, routes to prisons and "damning selfies" of Jones posing with his drones.

Det Con Michael Vince, of West Merica Police said: "We are pleased with this sentence for Jones who was the criminal head of a sophisticated network of illegal drugs drops into UK prisons.

"This was an incredibly complex but ultimately successful investigation by the north Worcestershire county lines team who worked hard in securing this conviction."

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