Drones being used to transport and drop illegal contraband are becoming an extremely common occurrence all across the globe.

There have been multiple incidents over the past few weeks of drones being caught carrying contraband into high-security areas. 

Recent Incident in Canada

On Monday, Nov. 26, 2022, staff members at Joyceville Institution, a medium-security prison near Kingston, Ontario, Canada, seized multiple packages. These contained contraband and other unauthorized items such as tobacco, cannabis, shatter (cannabis concentrate), and cell phones. Joyceville has extremely high-security protocols to ensure no unauthorized items enter. This leads authorities to believe that this was the result of a drone drop at the prison. 

Guilty Plea in Texas

Earlier in November, a Houston man plead guilty to federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas, for operating a drone on the property of the Federal Correctional Complex in Beaumont, Texas. According to court records, Davien Phillip Turner, also known as Davien Phillip Mayo, was operating a DJI Matrice 600 Pro drone.

Law enforcement officers who responded to the scene found Turner in the area where the drone was being operated.  Near the drone were several bags containing tobacco, cell phones, cell phone chargers, various tools, vape pens, and other items.

Turner was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury on two counts:

Count OneViolation: 49 U.S.C. § 46306(b)(5)(A) (Owning and Operating an Aircraft that is Not Registered)

Count TwoViolation: 49 U.S.C. § 46306(b)(7) (Serving or Attempting to Serve as an Airman Without an Airman s Certificate)

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