Police arrested Shafaghatullah Mohseni, 29, Hashim Al-Hussaini, 28, Mohammed Hamoud, 22, and Emanuel Fisniku, 25, travelling by car to a drop at the prison on Knox Road in the city on February 26 last year.

They had been tipped off that a knife was going to be smuggled inside.

Officers found a JD sports bag in the car with a drone, two packages containing phones and cannabis, and a knife.

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It was part of a wider conspiracy with seven men involved in dropping contraband into prisons across London and the South East on 70 occasions.

They would travel by car to the prisons, often in the early hours of the morning, and fly packages filled with contraband through cell windows.

Shafaghatullah Mohsenion lead the gang on 70 occasions using "drone drops" to smuggle into prisons (Image: Metropolitan Police/PA)

The Metropolitan Police said the conspirators were responsible for 75pc of all drone drops into London prisons between December 2024 and February 2025.

All seven admitted their roles in a “serious, organised, and prolific enterprise” to supply class B and C drugs, and conveying list A and B prohibited articles into prisons.

The four bound for Norwich prison, together with Shafaghatullah Mohseni, 29, Faiz Salah, 29, Zahar Essaghi, 51, and Mustafa Ibrahim, 30, are being sentenced at Harrow Crown Court.

Sam Barker, prosecuting, said drones were used to convey mobile telephones, USB sticks and drugs including Xanax and Valium, as well as cannabis.

Items - including a drone, two packages containing phones and cannabis, and a knife - found in a car on the way car to a drop at HMP Norwich (Image: Metropolitan Police/PA)

The gang planned to use a drone to fly items to cell windows at HMP Norwich (Image: Newsquest)

The prosecution has accepted that the conspirators “may not have been aware” that in one of the flights they conveyed a flick knife in one of the packages.

“But the fact is they did convey one of the knives,” added Mr Barker.

The conspirators were led by the “grand delivery driver” Mohseni, who the prosecution say was involved in all 70 drone drops.

“It is reasonable to infer that he was responsible for every single flight taken in this case,” said Mr Barker.

Close relatives of prisoners were found to have sent large sums of money to Mohseni as payment for the items, the court heard.

“The headline is that Mr Mohseni received £26,785 from 14 individuals who are directly linked to a serving prisoner, at a prison where he was delivering items,” said Mr Barker.

Hashim Al-Hussaini one of the members of a gang which smuggled drugs, phones, sim cards and a knife into prisons (Image: Metropolitan Police/PA)

Emanuel Fisniku one of the members of a gang which smuggled drugs, phones, sim cards and a knife into prisons (Image: Metropolitan Police/PA)

Mohammed Hamoudone of the members of a gang which smuggled drugs, phones, sim cards and a knife into prisons (Image: Metropolitan Police/PA)

Mohseni was at the centre of a “web of financial transfers” which saw him receive money and then pay the rest of his co-conspirators.

Michael McAlinden, defending him, said that Mohseni began the offending as a means to pay off his debts.

Mohseni, of Edgware, Salah, of north-west London, Essaghi, of north-west London, Ibrahim, of Harrow Weald, Fisniku, of Islington, Al-Hussaini, of Harrow, and Hamoud, of Harrow, all remain in custody ahead of receiving their sentences.

The sentencing will conclude on Tuesday.

© Norwich Evening News