A drone carrying drugs, blades, and a cellphone crashed in an Oklahoma prison

A drone delivering a contraband care package—including drugs, razor blades, and a cellphone—crashed inside an Oklahoma prison on Monday.

Prison guards found the drone around 9 a.m. this morning laying upside down inside the grounds of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. It apparently crashed after hitting the razor wire of the prison fence, a prison spokesperson said.

A package of contraband was hanging from the drone by fishline. It contained:

  • Two 12-inch hacksaw blades
  • A cellphone and battery
  • “A hands-free device”
  • Two packages of Newport Cigarettes
  • Two packages of Black & Mild cigars
  • Two tubes of super glue
  • A 5.3 ounce bag containing marijuana
  • A 0.8 ounce bag containing methamphetamine
  • A bag containing less than 1 gram of heroin

While drones have spirited contraband into several other prisons around the country, this was the first incident of its kind reported in Oklahoma.

“We are continuing to take a broad approach to increasing awareness in dealing with contraband at all of our facilities statewide,” Department of Corrections Director Robert Patton said in a statement. “We must maintain vigilance and stay one step ahead of the game in terms of the technology being used in and around facilities.”

Patton said guards would be trained to “stay attentive for more attempts to use flying aircraft” in moving contraband.

Alex Gerszewski, a spokesperson for the department, told me that the department was consulting with other states who had faced the problem. “We know it’s happening more often around the country,” he said. “It’s something that’s on our radar now.”

h/t Ziva Branstetter

Casey Tolan is a National News Reporter for Fusion based in New York City.

 
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