Inmates at a Scottish prison were rushed to the hospital on Christmas Day after taking drugs believed to have been brought in by drones.
The incident occurred at HMP Glenochil in Clackmannanshire, where 35 prisoners were reportedly under the influence of drugs, five of whom then required treatment in hospital. During the Christmas Day incident, prison staff also seized more drugs, weapons, and mobile phones.
All prisoners who were hospitalised have since been reported, and the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) said that they were working with Police Scotland to take action against those breaching security.
This comes after a Daily Record investigation revealed how criminal gangs are flooding prisons with illicit drugs and weapons. The SPS intercepted at least nine drones in 2024, while another 66 were spotted flying around prisons. Many more are believed to have successfully delivered potentially deadly hauls of up to 10 kilograms.
One such drone, a six-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) worth over £1,000 new, was customized to carry a payload of drugs, mobile phones, SIM cards, and chargers into HMP Perth last year.
Three separate parcels were attached to the drone, which are believed to have been directed to different gangland customers working in coordination with accomplices outside the prison.
The ongoing drug trade fuels violence, intimidation, and coercion within prisons, which are increasingly at risk of being overwhelmed.
HMP Glenochil, like the rest of Scotland’s jails, has been grappling with a record-high number of prisoners, pushing the system to breaking point.
A Sunday Mail exclusive revealed this week that more than 65,000 working days were lost due to illness among prison staff, who are described as “tired and broken.”
The Daily Record has also reported a sharp increase in gangland violence behind bars, with a 72 percent rise in attacks over the past two years.
Tony Martin, the SPS’s Divisional Head of Operational Delivery, explained in November that many of the pills entering prisons are poly-substances containing two or three different drugs.
“We don’t know the strength of them or the effects they have until they play out in the prisons,” he said.
“The packages that come in can be worth tens of thousands of pounds inside the prison, and that all points to the operations of serious organized crime groups.”
Last year, inmates at HMP Glenochil staged protests over conditions at the jail in Alloa, calling for more activities and expressing dissatisfaction with the amount of time spent outside their cells. These incidents resulted in some property damage.
A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: “Any attempt to bring illicit substances into our establishment, including by drone, poses a significant threat to the health and wellbeing of those in our care, as well as the safety of our staff. We will use all technological and intelligence tools available to prevent this wherever possible.
“We continue to work with Police Scotland and other partners to take action against those who attempt to breach our security.”
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