At the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, OK, a drone that was carrying mobile phones, drugs and hacksaw blades crashed on prison grounds. The incident occurred on Monday, and it was reported by officials of the prison on Tuesday.
The drone crashed after clipping razor wire on the walls of the prison, causing the pilot to lose control. Prison officials were able to retrieve the materials before inmates could reach the contraband. The materials were allegedly hanging from the drone in a bundle using fishing line.
In the package, there were two hacksaw blades, a mobile phone with a spare battery, two packages of cigarettes, two packs of cigars, super glue, 5.3 ounces of marijuana, 0.8 ounces of methamphetamines, and a small bag of heroin that weighed less than a gram.
Correction officials are pleased that the staff of the prison were able to quickly identify the situation and immediately take action.
Oklahoma Department of Corrections Director Robert Patton said, “I applaud and commend the quick action and diligence on the part of the staff who noticed the UAV that entered the prison grounds.”
Drones have been used to smuggle contraband to prison inmates on prior occasions as well.
Earlier this year in August, a drone dropped a package containing marijuana, tobacco and heroin in the recreation yard of a prison in Ohio. The package led to a major fight amongst inmates trying to retrieve the contraband.
Additionally, last year, a drone was used in an attempt to bring mobile phones, marijuana and tobacco into a maximum security prison in South Carolina. However, the drone crashed before it could reach the inside of the prison.
As for the most recent incident in McAlester, OK, prison staff turned the drone over to the office of the Inspector General of the Department of Corrections in order to conduct further investigation. At the present time, no arrests have been made in the incident.
McAlester is located about 130 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
Stay Connected
