Several states in the United States, including South Carolina, are now grappling with the ongoing and growing problem of drone deliveries to prisons. These deliveries often take place in the middle of the night and the prisoners are said to be missing contraband.
According to a CNN report, there has been a massive increase in drone deliveries to prisons across the country, particularly in prisons in South Carolina. Earlier this winter, a drone flew into the Turbeville Correctional Institution’s yard and dropped a three-foot package before speeding off, the captain of the drone hunter team for South Carolina State Prisons told a reporter.
Inside the package, officials found tobacco, marijuana, ecstasy and four phones, which the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) estimates have a total value of $165,700 in the “prison economy,” according to the report.
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Attorneys General write to the National Security Council
The problem has reportedly become so pervasive that prosecutors from at least 21 states wrote a letter to the U.S. National Security Council in March asking for help in managing a spike in drone crashes over prisons by loosening restrictions they say limit how state and local law enforcement agencies can respond.
The attorney general wrote: “This type of illegal activity is happening across the country and the consequences are serious,” adding: “The introduction of drugs contributes to addiction, violence and overdoses. Contraband weapons increase the risk of attacks and coordinated acts of violence. Contraband cell phones allow incarcerated individuals to continue criminal enterprises, including fraud, violent crime and intimidation.”
Drone drops regularly in South Carolina
While contraband isn’t a new problem in the U.S., drone-busting it has become commonplace for a drone captain in South Carolina. This year, as of April 24, its 21 state prisons have dealt with 75 cases of drone smuggling, according to a department spokesman, and will see 273 such incidents in 2025.
Drones now fly directly to the prison yard or to an inmate’s window to deliver a package. Describing it, a South Carolina drone captain said, “sort of like DoorDash.”
Other methods of smuggling contraband into the prison include throwing it over the facility’s fence, coordinating through the mail, and in some cases involving corrupt officials.
The growing trend of smuggling weapons into prisons using drones
South Carolina is one of many states now seeing an increase in weapons such as knives and blades entering prison facilities via drones.
In early March, Florida’s attorney general announced an 81-year prison sentence for a man convicted of organizing a drone smuggling operation that delivered razor blades, drugs and other contraband to several facilities in March. In New York, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision called for tougher laws after a drone carrying double-edged knives was spotted near a Utica facility. Meanwhile, Georgia’s attorney general said the state averages 58 drone-related prison incidents each month, often involving guns, razors and narcotics.
List of items that enter prisons via drones
While drones most often bring in contraband such as drugs, cell phones and weapons, SCDC noted that they have encountered some of the more unusual items entering the facility. This includes:
- Crab legs and steak, topped with Old Bay seasoning
2. Cigarettes
3. Dental jewelry or grills
6. Flavored powdered drink
10. Material toys hiding drugs
The report highlights that drone-based contraband is no longer a sporadic tactic, but a rapidly expanding organized threat across US prisons, driven by the ease, accuracy and low risk these devices offer offenders. Authorities warn that existing legal and technological restrictions are struggling to keep up, leaving prisons vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated supplies that fuel violence, addiction and criminal networks behind bars. As incidents continue to rise across the country, officials stress that stronger federal coordination, updated laws and advanced anti-drone measures will be critical to regaining control of prison airspace and protecting both inmates and staff.
