By Jayla Howard
Criminals behind bars may not be as cut off from the outside world as many people think, as state officials warn that drones are increasingly being used to smuggle contraband into prisons — giving inmates access to tools that can help them keep committing crimes from inside their cells.
Officials say contraband dropped by drones has been tied to serious criminal activity, from drug operations to violence, including cases where inmates have been accused of directing crimes without ever leaving prison.
In Georgia, authorities have counted hundreds of drone incidents, averaging about 60 per month. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said contraband cell phones are a key concern.
“And the issue with cell phones is we’re seeing in Georgia is we’ve had a case where somebody was using a cell phone, contraband cell phone to direct a murder in South Georgia,” Carr said.
Investigators say an inmate used a contraband cell phone to order a hit man from behind bars, but the suspects went to the wrong home, killing an 88-year-old Tattnall County man instead.
Carr said the scale of the problem is significant.
“Remember, there shouldn’t be one cell phone in a prison, let alone 1200 that we recovered,” he said.
Florida officials have also acknowledged similar concerns. A Jacksonville man will spend 81 years in prison after investigators said he used drones to drop drugs, weapons and cell phones into multiple correctional facilities.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said his office plans to pursue stiff penalties in such cases.
“We are going to be prosecuting people to the fullest, handing out strong sentences and ensure that we are keeping dangerous people away from our families,” Uthmeier said.
Despite the growing problem, officials say correctional officers have limited options to respond in real time. Federal law restricts who can track or take down unauthorized drones, which officials say has left many on the front lines frustrated.
“When they start seeing the amount of drugs and weapons and cell phones that are being dropped into their jails in their prisons, our law enforcement folks are very, very frustrated,” Carr said.
Carr is now leading a multistate effort pushing for changes. Attorneys general in more than 20 states are calling on the federal government to give local and state agencies authority to track and disable drones before they reach prison grounds.
State leaders say they are hopeful federal officials will take action soon as the number of drone-related incidents continues to rise, warning that without additional authority, inmates could continue exploiting the technology to carry out crimes both inside prison walls and in the community.
