The incident occurred at the Marcy Correctional Facility in upstate New York, about 180 miles (290 kilometers) northwest of New York City, when a drone flew over prison grounds after midnight and released a package, New York corrections officials said Wednesday. Staff detected the drone flying above the facility at 1 a.m. Saturday and recovered the dropped items soon afterward, according to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
Officials said the package was released between two dormitories. When staff recovered it, they found it included two double-edged knives measuring 8 inches (20 centimeters) and more than a pound (about 530 grams) of an unidentified green leafy substance that was wrapped in clear plastic and balloons, the department said.
The department also said the contraband package included a cellphone, bandannas, hair clippers, and the items needed to power and use the clippers. It said the package contained five pieces of paper “saturated in intoxicating chemicals,” along with chargers and accessories for the two hair clippers.
The state said investigators were trying to determine who was responsible. The drone was recovered outside the prison, officials said, and the package’s contents prompted an additional security response when wires protruding from it led to a bomb squad response to ensure it did not pose an immediate threat.
New York corrections officials said drone smuggling into prisons is not new. Department Commissioner Daniel Martuscello described the practice as “an evolving but imminent threat” to the state correctional system, which has experienced about a dozen other drone incidents, and he used the Marcy episode to lobby for state legislation aimed at addressing illegal drone use.