Drones have found several unique uses, one of them being sneaking around contraband.
A drone carrying tobacco, marijuana and cellphones crashed outside the Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, S.C., and was found by prison officials on April 21st, according to the Washington Post.
Authorities arrested one man, 28-year-old Brenton Lee Doyle, in connection with the incident. He appeared in court on Wednesday and was charged with attempting to smuggle contraband into a prison and possession of the drug flunitrazepam, which is also called "roofies."
Police are still looking for a second man, who was seen on surveillance video at a convenience store before the drone crash buying some products that authorities found with the unmanned aircraft, ABC News reported.
Stephanie Givens, spokeswoman for Lee Correctional Institution, said investigators think the drone was crashed either by its pilot or because it stopped working when it got close to the prison. Givens did not say what kind of drone was used, but she did say it was a model that could fly for long distances.
"As technology gets more advanced, we have to find more advanced ways to fight that," she said.
The incident was not the first time that a drone was used to smuggle contraband into a prison, nor was it the first unsuccessful attempt, The Washington Post reported. Four people were arrested in November for allegedly using the same approach to sneak a few pounds of tobacco into a Georgia state prison. They were caught after prison officers spotted the remote-controlled helicopter trying to fly over the prison walls.
