A man from Bristol who pleaded guilty to drugs offences following his arrest by officers from the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) was handed a 28-month prison sentence last week (1 February).

Johnny Cafferkey age 26 of Gloucester Road in Avonmouth admitted the charge of possession with intent to supply class A and B drugs following his arrest in December last year.

SWROCU officers executed a warrant at his address in the early hours of Tuesday 12 December. Cafferkey fled the property through a skylight but unbeknownst to him SWROCU was being assisted by Avon and Somerset Police Drone Team who saw him escape from the window, drop down onto a flat roof and crawl through brambles adjacent to the railway line. He was eventually located nearby in a wheelie bin thanks to the help of British Transport Police and the Port Police.

PS Stuart Cumine of SWROCU said: “Thanks to some excellent partnership working, we were able to apprehend Cafferkey and bring him before the court. I hope the sentence handed to him demonstrates to others that the supply of dangerous drugs, in this case cocaine and ketamine, is taken seriously and will be dealt with strongly.”

Sgt Colin Powell, Avon and Somerset Police drone unit manager, said: “Cafferkey thought he could escape undetected but what he didn’t realise was that we had eyes in the sky tracking his every move.

“This is a great example of how technology can help us catch offenders and ensure they are held accountable for their crimes.

“In addition to tracking suspects, drones are an invaluable, cost-effective tool used to search for missing people or stolen property or to capture evidence at crime scenes or scenes of road traffic collisions.”

Anyone with information about drug dealing within their communities can contact their local force online or via 101. You can also contact Crimestoppers, completely anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/.