As reported in The Canberra Times, staff at a Queensland, Australia, prison found a drone near an exercise yard at precisely on April 1, 2022. Near the crash site, a clip-sealed bag was found, within which were 79 strips of Buprenorphine, 0.94 grams of methamphetamine, and a USB drive.

According to a crown prosecutor, Buprenorphine strips were reportedly priced between $1,000 and $1,500 per strip within prisons, whereas the value of methamphetamine was estimated at approximately $480.

Three people were charged with the attempted delivery of drugs into the prison, which also included a USB drive containing pornography.

Cheyenne Anniki Petryszyn, aged 27, appeared before the Brisbane Supreme Court for her sentencing. This appearance followed her guilty pleas to two counts of aggravated supply of dangerous drugs within a correctional facility. Cory Jay Sinclair Keleher, aged 33, one of Petryszyn’s co-accused, also entered guilty pleas for two similar counts. Additionally, Bradley William Knudson, aged 37, pleaded guilty to one count.

In the case, the prosecutor revealed that Petryszyn’s role in the operation was to procure drugs for Knudson’s distribution within the prison. Keleher, who had been released from custody on the day the drone was discovered, was recruited to provide information about the prison’s layout to Petryszyn. However, the identity of the drone operator remained unknown.

Authorities monitored calls from nearby cell blocks and identified conversations between Knudson and Petryszyn related to their illicit activities. They attempted to disguise these discussions as a conversation about a fishing trip, but Petryszyn mentioned that “everything crashed and burned” after the drone’s failure.

Further investigation revealed that the drone’s barcode could be traced to a sale made to Petryszyn the previous month.

See Also- C-UAS Hub Corrections Counter-UAS Resources

Post Image- Southern Queensland Correctional Centre- Australia (Image Credit: Queensland Corrective Services)