BISHOPVILLE, S.C. — Twenty arrests were the result of an eight-month investigation into drone contraband delivery at the Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, South Carolina, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office announced last week.
Pounds of drugs, 25 cellphones, three guns, more than $60,000 in cash and a dozen drones were just some of the recent items seized, according to the sheriff.
Since the investigation began in May of last year, more than 100 pounds of illicit items were confiscated, officials said.
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Eight arrests were made in 2021, and 12 more occurred in January of this year.
“Our main focus is to stop contraband from entering the institution, and especially prevent someone from getting injured in the process,” Lee County Sheriff Daniel Simon said.
Most recently, five people were arrested by sheriff’s officers as two separate, unrelated groups attempted to fly drones carrying goods over the prison’s fences at the same time last weekend. The sheriff said one of the drones was the largest he’d ever seen.
“These large drones can carry heavier and heavier packages,” Simon said. “We are working hard to stop them from getting in the wrong hands.”
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A list of recent confiscations includes 100 pounds of tobacco, 13 pounds of marijuana, 843 grams of methamphetamines, 114 grams of crack cocaine, 49 grams of cocaine, 25 cellphones, two knives, three guns, 12 drones, $6,393 in cash and packages that contained charging cords, lighters, bottles of liquor, candy and clothes.
Officers said they’ve also found three abandoned drones with about five pounds of tobacco and 100 grams of meth in the woods outside the prison’s fences.
Charges for those arrested included contraband, criminal conspiracy, drug trafficking and possession, and weapons possession.
(WATCH BELOW: Smugglers using drones to deliver contraband to prisoners)
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