A man who tried to fly drugs and phones into Pentonville Prison has been jailed.

Islington Gazette: Natalevicius crashed the drone but was later caught. Picture: Met PoliceNatalevicius crashed the drone but was later caught. Picture: Met Police (Image: Archant)

On August 14 last year, patrolling officers spotted a drone flying towards the Caledonian Road prison and carrying a package. It was being controlled by Tomas Natalevicius, 35, of no fixed address.

While officers were trying to find the pilot, the string which carried the package caught in the propellers and crashed. A vehicle was then seen speeding away. The drone was recovered and an investigation identified Natalevicius as a suspect through DNA.

At Luton Crown Court on Friday, he was sentenced to seven years and eight months after pleading guilty to conspiracy supply prohibited articles into Pentonville, as well as conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis into HMP The Mount, Hertfordshire, in October.

Det Ch Inspe Steve Heatley said: “These recovered drones carried a substantial amount of Class A drugs and a large quantity of mobile phones into prisons, which we were able to intercept, thanks to the vigilance of officers and the public.”