Over the weekend, police in Cumberland, Maryland arrested two men for trying to smuggle drugs, tobacco, and porn into a maximum security prison. That in itself is not that unusual; what was unique about this case, however, was the method they’d chosen for their smuggling.
The two men were allegedly planning on using a drone–specifically, a Yuneec Typhoon, which is a four-rotor mini helicopter– to sneak the contraband into a nearby prison, police allege. According to the Baltimore Sun, this is the first time something like this has been attempted in Maryland; a couple of other states have also had drone-contraband issues.
This time, the plot was foiled by careful surveillance–but as drones become more common, that might not be enough. Corrections Secretary Stephen T. Moyer told the Sun that drone detecting technology would cost around $350,000 — per prison.
