DRONE DROP DILEMMA: Inmate's Secret iPhone Exposes His Prison Crime Empire

It’s a mad ting when you can run your crime biz from behind bars, but not anymore for one clever inmate at HMP Hindley. Thomas Garcia, 32, thought he was the kingpin of the joint, coordinating a drone drop to sneak in some serious contraband. The feds rumbled his game when they caught him with an iPhone last October. The North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) swooped on the operation. The drone successfully delivered a 2kg package containing around 1kg of cannabis resin, tobacco, a mobile phone, and a charger. Garcia was then seen distributing this stash within the prison walls. But it didn’t stop there. The phone revealed more than just his inside job. It exposed his crew on the outside: Darren Thomas Harrison, 39, from Liverpool, who supplied the cannabis resin and prepped the drone package; and David Andrew Dickinson, 42, from Crosby, who acted as the courier. Dickinson drove a white Ford Transit van to the prison to drop off the goods. All three were nicked in April, and drugs were seized during searches of their homes. Garcia was hit with charges for conspiracy to convey articles into a prison, conspiracy to supply cannabis, and breaching a Serious Crime Prevention Order. He’s now looking at three years and four months, tacked on to his current sentence. Harrison faced similar charges and got two years and five months. Dickinson, charged with conspiracy to convey articles into a prison and conspiracy to supply cannabis, was jailed for nine months. Detective Inspector Brian Morley from the NWROCU summed it up: "This was a coordinated and organised attempt to exploit drone technology to deliver drugs and other prohibited items into a prison. Garcia continued to orchestrate serious criminality from behind bars, supported by his associates on the outside who prepared, transported, and facilitated the delivery. We know that drugs in prisons fuel violence, debt, and further offending, and we will continue to work with partners to disrupt this activity and bring those responsible to justice."