Drones Dropping Drugs, Cell Phones, Contraband At Sing Sing, Wallkill Correctional

OSSINING, NY — Correction officers report recovering contraband that were delivered into prison grounds by drones in two separate incidents at Wallkill and Sing Sing Correctional Facilities.

The first incident happened on Tuesday, May 26, at approximately 1:15 a.m. at Wallkill Correctional Facility. An officer assigned to the outside grounds heard a buzzing sound
overhead moving toward the facility yard. Moments later, that officer heard what appeared to be a thud in the yard and spotted the drone departing.

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A search of the prison yard led to the recovery of a large bundle wrapped in green plastic with a fishing line attached. The package, guards say, weighing more than five pounds, was removed from the yard and taken to the facility package room where it was X-rayed, revealing three separate
vacuum-sealed bundles inside. Those bundles contained cell phones, SIM cards, cell phone charging cables, bags of pills, and fifteen vacuum-sealed bags containing marijuana.

The second drone-related contraband drop happened on June 8, at approximately 3:45 a.m. at Sing Sing. A correctional officers assigned to the outside grounds spotted a drone flying over the facility and saw it drop a package into the prison yard.

The officer located the package, which again consisted of a clear plastic trash bag with a fishing line attached. Inside was a brown paper bag containing several vacuum-sealed packages. A search of the contents revealed more than 500 grams of a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana, 15 pills, a set of Apple earphones, and a cell phone charging cord.

“There is a broader pattern of drone use to smuggle contraband into prisons as inmates and their associates continue to find new ways to introduce drugs, weapons, and other dangerous items inside correctional facilities,” NYS Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association
Mid-Hudson Region VP Joe Horacek said. “The FBI recently identified the girlfriend of an inmate at Marcy Correctional
Facility who used a drone to deliver drugs into the prison in March. Elmira Correctional Facility has also recovered contraband believed to have been delivered by drone. These
latest incidents at Wallkill and Sing Sing highlight the urgent need to identify and prosecute those responsible under the new legislation signed into law by the Governor. Without
successful prosecution, there is no deterrent for individuals who continue to use drones to deliver contraband into our prisons. These illegal activities only contribute to the already
unsafe working conditions faced by correction offciers and prison staff every day.”