Drone drops steak, crab legs — and a side of contraband to SC prison
BISHOPVILLE, S.C. - The South Carolina Department of Corrections said authorities had to intercept a drone delivery at a prison that contained various food items for Thanksgiving including a contraband.
The backstory:
The illicit meal was dropped into the Lee Correctional Institution prison yard by a drone, the South Carolina Department of Corrections said on the social platform X with the hashtag #ContrabandChristmas.
A photo from the Bishopville prison showed a raw steak still in the grocery store packing, crab legs and Old Bay with side plastic baggies of marijuana and a couple of cartons of cigarettes. The drone was also seized Sunday morning, authorities said.
What they're saying:
Prison officials said they are investigating and no arrests have been made.
"I’m guessing the inmates who were expecting the package are crabby," prisons spokeswoman Chrysti Shain said.
Big picture view:
Keeping contraband out of state prisons is a constant battle. People would toss or use a catapult to get packages of cellphones, drugs or other illegal items over the perimeter fence until officials raised the fences and added netting at the top.
People trying to smuggle things behind bars moved on to drones, leaving corrections officials to constantly patrol the prison yard and just outside for the tiny aircraft trying to drop packages.
Dig deeper:
Just flying a drone near a prison in South Carolina is a misdemeanor crime that carries up to 30 days in jail. Dropping contraband into the prison is a felony that can land someone behind bars for 10 years.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes from statements and photos shared publicly by the South Carolina Department of Corrections on the social platform X, where officials posted about the intercepted drone and detailed the contraband it carried. This story was reported from Los Angeles.