Footage shows moment Bristol drug dealer tracked down by police drone

• South West Regional Organised Crime Unit drone footage shows how officers were able to track Cafferkey as he tried to flee his address.

A drug dealer has been jailed for more than two years after he was caught thanks to a police drone.

Johnny Cafferkey, 26 and of Gloucester Road in Avonmouth, tried to escape a property after police executed a warrant at his address.

He climbed through a skylight before dropping down onto the roof and crawling through brambles next to the adjacent railway line.

Officers from the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) used a drone to track his movements and he was found near a wheelie bin.

He was arrested in December 2023 and pleaded guilty to the charge of possession with intent to supply class A and B drugs

Cafferkey was handed a 28-month prison sentence on 1 February.

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.”