Three men arrested after drone drops package into Erlestoke prison
Wiltshire Police were alerted by prison staff on Salisbury Plain
Three men have been arrested close to Wiltshire's only jail, after a drone was seen dropping a suspicious package into the grounds of Erlestoke Prison.
Police were called at around 1.30am on Friday (1st September), following reports from prison staff about a drone flying over.
Officers stopped a Nissan Qashqai on Bath Road, Melksham.
A drone was seen to be thrown from the vehicle, which was recovered and seized, with help from Wiltshire's Police Dog Team.
Three men, aged in their 20s, 30s and 40s, and all from the Bristol area have been arrested on suspicion of throwing a prohibited article into a prison.
Sgt Steve Edwards, of the Volume Crime Team, said:
“Officers have done an excellent job in locating and seizing a drone and arresting three individuals so quickly after receiving the initial call. We are now progressing with our enquiries.
“Conveying prohibited items into a prison will not be tolerated and we take reports like this seriously. We have a positive and proactive relationship with colleagues at HMP and we will continue to work closely with the staff there as part of this investigation and to prevent further incidents of this nature taking place.”
There's an appeal for information into the incident - we can call Wiltshire Police on 101, quoting reference number 54230092035.