Two people have been jailed for using a drone to smuggle drugs, phones and SIM cards into HMP Lindholme, Doncaster.

Jade Brannan, 35, and Ricky Smith, 39, were sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court after admitting their roles in a plot to drop contraband into the prison using a drone disguised as a juice carton.

The plot was uncovered after a prison officer spotted a spone delivering a package into the grounds of HMP Lindholme in June 2022.

The parcel was then examined and found to contain drugs, charging cables, mobile phones and SIM cards.

Flight data recovered from the drone revealed Smith’s address in Leeds, providing forensic evidence linking both Smith and Brannan to the delivery.

A search of Brannan’s home in Leeds uncovered suspected drugs, boxes of diazepam and pregabalin, and several USB sticks, while a drone controller and spare blades were found at Smith’s property.

Further analysis of Smith’s mobile phone revealed messages offering drugs for sale, photos of juice cartons similar to those used in the prison drop, and video footage of a previous drone delivery.

Brennan pleaded guilty to conspiring to bring banned items into prison and two counts of supplying Class C drugs, while Smith admitted the same conspiracy, three counts of supplying Class C drugs and three counts of throwing articles into prison, twice at HMP Ranby in Nottinghamshire and once at HMP Lindholme.

Smith and Brannan received three-year and two-year and three-month prison sentences, respectively.

South Yorkshire Police said they would continue working with His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service to target those using drones to supply illicit goods to inmates.