David Lammy issued prison drug drone deadline after another life lost | Politics | News
Justice Secretary David Lammy faces a critical mid-January deadline to outline robust measures to stop drones smuggling deadly drugs into prisons. The order follows a stern warning from the coroner following the death of 29-year-old inmate Derrion Adams at HMP Birmingham; This is a case that symbolizes the systemic failure to secure the prison environment.
Adams died on October 31, 2024, of cardiac arrest triggered by complications from the use of synthetic cannabinoids commonly known as “Spice” or “Black Mamba.” The substances were inhaled through a tampered electronic cigarette found in his cell. Following an inquest in November 2025, District Coroner Emma Brown published the Preventing Future Deaths report, stating that drugs delivered by drones had made such substances so widely available that they posed a permanent “risk to life”.
The investigation painted a harrowing picture of a facility under siege. Ms Brown highlighted how sophisticated criminal gangs consistently overwhelm prison security, with prison officials openly admitting organized crime groups are “more sophisticated than us”.
On the day Adams died, HMP Birmingham was descending into chaos amid a regional rise in drug overdoses. Staff were so depleted that a single officer was left to lock up 60 inmates alone while his colleagues scrambled to handle multiple medical emergencies.
This chronic understaffing led to a fatal delay in responding to Adams’ emergency cell phone ring. He was in advanced cardiac arrest when help arrived.
Ms Brown’s report criticized these staffing levels as entirely inadequate in the face of “increasing operational pressures” caused by drone-delivered contraband and the resulting spike in psychoactive substance incidents. He concluded that the current environment puts the safety of both inmates and staff at “significant risk”.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is now legally required to submit a response by January 13, 2026, detailing specific measures taken to mitigate these risks or providing a formal explanation for inaction. While the Ministry of Justice points to a £40 million investment in security (including £10 million specifically for anti-drone technology, window grills and perimeter networks), the “arms race” continues.
Since January 2024, no-fly zones have been in place around closed prisons, but drone pilots have adapted by flying at higher altitudes or using encrypted signals to bypass local jamming.
Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor echoed these concerns, warning that the prison service was effectively “handing over its airspace to serious organized crime”. This loss of control fuels a cycle of violence, debt and addiction that makes rehabilitation nearly impossible.
Derrion Adams, described by his family as a “tender soul”, had a history of substance abuse and had been in custody since April 2024. Adams’ death underlines a persistent national crisis in which drones act as a digital “silk road” to the UK’s most secure institutions.
Ms Brown stressed that only a multi-agency response involving the police, health services and the prison service could stem the supply and manage the inevitable overdoses. He warned that without urgent, top-down intervention from the Minister of Justice, more deaths were certain.
