23 Indicted in Alleged Schemes to Drop Drugs Into Prisons Using Drones

Twenty-three individuals were indicted in Georgia this week in alleged schemes to smuggle drugs and phones into prison using drones.
On Wednesday, federal prosecutors announced an indictment against 23 individuals, many of whom are current and former prison inmates, in the schemes to allegedly bring prohibited items into prison using drones, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
The indictments, which were unsealed on Tuesday, alleged that inmates in Georgia orchestrated a scheme to set up deliveries of prohibited items using drones with those on the outside.
“The primary charge in each indictment, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute marijuana and methamphetamine, carries a statutory penalty of 10 years to life in prison, along with substantial financial penalties and at least five years of supervised release upon completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system,” the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Southern District of Georgia said in a press release.
U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg said, “These indictments identify networks of individuals determined to introduce into prisons controlled substances and other contraband that compromise the safety and security of individuals who are held in those facilities and those employed there, and further endanger members of the outside public.”
She added, “We’re grateful to the many federal, state and local law enforcement agencies whose cooperative work unraveled these criminal operations.”
Federal prosecutors said that all but six of the individuals named in the indictment were in jail at some point during the alleged smuggling scheme. The indictments detailed text and Facebook messages exchanged between the defendants, which included aerial images of prisons and photos of vacuum-sealed packages.
The indictment showed one text message in 2021, where an inmate said, “Friday gotta be after dark won’t be able to get it until kitchen help go out for breakfast.”
In 2023, another text message from an inmate said, “We can do 2 on one battery and 2 on another battery…I just need to know when you taking off and when the pack drop,” the indictment showed.
Prosecutors said that they have seized 21 firearms and 10 drones following an investigation into the alleged scheme.
“In addition to the conspiracy charges, multiple defendants are charged with Unlawful Use of a Communication Facility, and the indictment provides detailed information revealing the use of cell phones to coordinate the sale of drugs and other contraband, direct activities of conspirators outside the prisons, and arrange deliveries of contraband to the prisons using drones,” the U.S. Attorney’s office said.