By Jon Moss
syracuse.com
MARCY, N.Y. — A drone flying in the dark this weekend dropped a package with knives, a cell phone and other contraband inside a Central New York prison, officials said.
The green drone flew over the Marcy Correctional Facility at about 1 a.m. Saturday, and released the package between dormitory buildings, according to a news release Wednesday from Thomas Mailey, a spokesperson for the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
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Employees recovered the package and notified the State Police and the corrections department’s Office of Special Investigations.
Due to wires protruding from the package, State Police bomb technicians checked to make sure the package didn’t pose an immediate threat, he said.
Once deemed safe, the package was opened and had the following items inside, Mailey said:
- Two eight-inch, double-edged knives
- About 530 grams (1.1 pounds) of a green leafy substance
- Five pieces of paper saturated with intoxicating chemicals
- One cell phone
- Two hair clippers with chargers and accessories
- Four bandanas
The drone was recovered outside the prison, Mailey said.
No charges have been filed.
The prison is a medium-security facility located in Oneida County, about seven miles west of Utica. It had about 800 inmates, as of March 1.
There have been a dozen incidents involving drones in the past year across the state prison system, Mailey said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed banning drones from flying within 500 feet of state prisons, as well as creating new criminal offenses for unlawful drone activity.
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