Police foil zeppelin jailbreak

Police in Spain have foiled a plot to use a zeppelin to help a prisoner break out of jail

Police in Spain have foiled a plot to use a zeppelin to help a prisoner break out of jail.

Investigators found a package sent from Italy containing sophisticated escape equipment that was to have been smuggled into the hilltop Salto del Negro prison on the Canary Island of Las Palmas using a 13ft electrically controlled dirigible.

The breakout had been planned for Tuesday, a day before the detainee, whose name was given as Giulio B, was due to appear in court on drug trafficking charges.

Three helpers had set up a camouflaged observation tent on a promontory 656 yards from the prison and spent a month monitoring jail workers' movements with high power wide-angle binoculars.

They also were protected with electronic movement sensors to warn of people approaching.

The helpers were also in possession of maps of the prison and handwritten letters sent by Giulio B.

"The strategy consisted of using a radio-controlled zeppelin to help introduce night vision equipment, climbing kit and camouflage paint to Giulio B's cell," said an Interior Ministry statement.

Police said Giulio B would have used the equipment to reach a point on the jail perimeter that was not under constant observation. From there they believe he would have descended to a waiting escape vehicle.

The 51 year-old was in jail awaiting trial after having been caught flying a seaplane loaded with 441lb of cocaine from Mauritania.