A police dog sniffed out a ditched drone after a package was dropped into Erlestoke Prison.
Officers responded to reports of suspicious activity there at approximately 1.30am today (Friday).
According to staff, a package of suspicious items was dropped into the prison grounds by a drone.
Following the 999 call, a Nissan Qashqai – suspected to have been involved in the incident – was stopped on Bath Road, Melksham, heading towards Shaw.
The occupants of the vehicle were seen to throw a drone from the vehicle which has been recovered and seized thanks to police dog Skye sniffing it out.
Three men, aged in their 20s, 30s and 40s, from the Bristol area, were arrested on suspicion of throwing a prohibited article into a prison. All three are in custody at Gablecross for questioning.
Sgt Steve Edwards, of the Volume Crime Team, said: “Officers have done an excellent job in locating and seizing a drone and arresting three individuals so quickly after receiving the initial call. We are now progressing with our enquiries.
“Conveying prohibited items into a prison will not be tolerated and we take reports like this seriously.
“We have a positive and proactive relationship with colleagues at HMP and we will continue to work closely with the staff there as part of this investigation and to prevent further incidents of this nature taking place.”
Anyone with information should call 101 and quote crime reference number 54230092035.
