How a late-night drone sound led to felony arrests in Georgia
A large drone, multiple pounds of marijuana and tobacco, hydrocodone, ecstasy, and cellphones sit on display after Washington County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested two Lithonia residents accused of using an unmanned aircraft to drop contraband in
DAVISBORO, Ga. - Two 22-year-old Lithonia residents were arrested after authorities caught them dropping drugs and other contraband into a prison using a drone, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Georgia drone drop investigation
What we know:
Staff members at Washington State Prison notified Washington County Sheriff's Office deputies on Saturday after hearing what sounded like a drone making a contraband drop inside the facility grounds.
Deputies patrolled the area around the prison, spotted a suspicious vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. During the stop, officers discovered evidence of the prison drop and arrested both the driver and the passenger.
Correctional officers later located a large bag inside the prison grounds containing 5.15 pounds of marijuana, 14.65 pounds of tobacco, 151.5 grams of ecstasy, 13.7 grams of hydrocodone, cellphones with chargers, earbuds and lighters.
Deputies arrested Kymani McLaren, 22, of Lithonia, and Jovani Morris, 22, of Lithonia. Both face felony charges including operating unmanned aircraft, items prohibited by inmates, possession of tools in certain crimes, trading with inmates tobacco, trading with inmates’ cell phones, trading with inmates’ marijuana, trading with inmates MDMA, trading with inmates oxycodone hydrochloride, possession with intent marijuana, possession with intent Schedule II drug and trafficking MDMA.
Prison security contraband response
What we don't know:
Officials have not stated if additional suspects were involved in operating the drone or preparing the contraband.
Authorities have not released details on which specific inmates were intended to receive the smuggled items inside the facility.
Prison contraband enforcement details
What they're saying:
"We appreciate the cooperation of the staff at Washington State Prison and the quick response of our deputies in helping prevent contraband from entering the facility," Sheriff Cochran said. "For anyone considering bringing contraband into Washington State Prison by drone, we'd suggest finding a different hobby. History keeps showing the outcome is the same."
Ongoing Georgia smuggling case
What's next:
The contraband items were turned over to the Washington County Sheriff's Office as physical evidence.
The sheriff's office stated that the investigation into the smuggling attempt remains ongoing.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Washington County Sheriff's Office, which provided details on the arrest and investigation in an official press release.