Maryland officials say they thwarted an attempt by at least three men to use a drone to try to smuggle drugs and pornography into a prison, in what is believed to be the first such incident in the state.
Authorities said two men were in a car Saturday around 8pm that was parked along a highway outside a state prison complex in Cresaptown in the Cumberland area of Western Maryland. When authorities searched the car, they found a green-and-white drone, synthetic drugs, CDs with pornographic material and other items that they believe the two men in the car were trying to get into the Western Correctional Institution in Cumberland, officials announced at a news conference Monday.
“You can’t make this stuff up,” said Stephen T. Moyer, secretary of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
The weekend arrest highlights the growing challenges law enforcement and security officials face as drones increase in popularity and improving technology makes them easier to fly and more difficult to detect. Authorities across the country have been dealing with drones flying past the fence around the White House, the privacy concerns with cameras connected to the devices to safety issues that arise when they interfere with air space.
But officials in Maryland say this is the first time they’ve intercepted an attempt to smuggle illegal goods into a state prison and fear copy cats could follow.
“This is a very serious investigation,” said Mark Vernarelli, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services in Maryland.
Authorities said the two men in the car arrested were Thaddeus Shortz, 25, and Keith Brian Russell, 30. Online court records show the men where charged with illegal possession of drugs with the intent to distribute, illegal possession of a fire arm and other related charges.
An inmate inside the facility is also suspected to be connected with the attempted drone drop, authorities said. After the arrest of Shortz and Russell, authorities searched the inmate’s cell and found contraband inside. The inmate, who officials did not name, could also face charges.