12 charged with allegedly using drones to smuggle contraband into prisons

(NEW YORK) — Twelve individuals have been charged in what the Justice Department is calling a vast conspiracy to smuggle contraband into 10 federal prisons across the country through a coordinated drone operation.

The 17-count indictment, unsealed Wednesday, alleges that starting in September 2023, those charged allegedly used six drones to drop contraband at least 38 times into 10 federal prisons from Atlanta to Mississippi.

ABC News reported last year on the escalating security threat that drones pose to prisons.

The Bureau of Prisons has a drone alert system that notifies prison staff when a drone is nearby, according to court documents.

Some of the individuals charged in the indictment unsealed Wednesday were inmates at prisons around the country and used cellphones to schedule drops at various prisons. 

The contraband was allegedly stored at what is referred to in court records as “The Lab.”