Drone Carrying Drugs, Phones Crashes Outside SC Prison

iStock/Thinkstock(BISHOPVILLE, S.C.) — A crashed drone carrying contraband, including marijuana, tobacco and cellphones, was found outside the razor wire fence at a maximum security prison in South Carolina.

One person has been arrested, however the search for a second suspect has been ongoing since prison officials found the downed aerial vehicle and contraband in the bushes outside Lee Correctional Institute in Bishopville on April 21.

Brenton Lee Doyle, 28, has been charged with drug possession and attempting to furnish contraband to inmates. Court records did not list an attorney for Doyle.

Authorities are seeking a second man, who was seen on surveillance video at a convenience store prior to the incident buying some products that were found with the crashed drone.

Stephanie Givens, a spokeswoman for Lee Correctional Institution, said investigators believe the drone was either crashed by the person piloting it or that it malfunctioned as it approached the prison.

Givens would not discuss the type of drone, but said it was a model that was “capable of flying long distances.”

“As technology gets more advanced, we have to find more advanced ways to fight that,” she said.

It is believed to be the first time the high-tech approach has been taken to smuggle contraband into a South Carolina prison.

Four people were accused last year of trying to fly a drone carrying tobacco and cellphones into a Georgia state prison.

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