- Britain's chief inspector of prisons, Charlie Taylor, has warned that drug dealers are operating with impunity in jails, as drug-related deaths reach a record high.
- New figures reveal 48 drug-related deaths in prisons in England and Wales in the year ending March 2025, a 2,300 per cent increase since 2010.
- The crisis is exacerbated by drones, which can deliver up to 11kg of lethal substances, including synthetic drugs, into prisons.
- Mr Taylor has urged the government to take urgent, cross-departmental action, including collaborating with the Ministry of Defence to combat drone smuggling.
- Grieving families are calling for greater protection for prisoners, saying they should not have to worry whether their loved ones will make it out of jail alive.
IN FULL
True scale of UK’s prison drug crisis revealed as deaths hit record high
