A drone flew over the grounds of an upstate New York prison over the weekend in an attempt to smuggle contraband and released a package that contained knives and a "green leafy substance," among other items, officials said Wednesday, March 18.
In anews release, theNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervisionsaid staff at the Marcy Correctional Facility detected a drone flying above the facility grounds at around 1 a.m. local time on Saturday, March 14. The drone released a package between dormitory buildings inside the facility's secure fence.
The package was quickly recovered by staff, who then notified the department's Office of Special Investigations and the New York State Police, according to the news release. The package had wires protruding from it, which prompted the New York State Police Bomb Squad to respond to the scene to "ensure the package did not pose an immediate threat," the news release states.
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After the package was determined to be safe, the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said it was opened, and authorities discovered contraband inside. The items included two double-edged knives that were 8 inches long, and over a pound of a "green leafy substance" that appeared to be wrapped with plastic and balloons.
The package also contained five "full pieces of paper saturated in intoxicating chemicals," a cell phone, two hair clippers with chargers and accessories, and four bandanas, according to the department.
The drone was recovered outside the facility, located in the town of Marcy, about 54 miles east of Syracuse, New York. The department said the investigation into the incident remains ongoing, and authorities have not identified who was responsible for sending the contraband.
"Contraband introduced into correctional facilities fuels violence and puts both staff and the incarcerated population at risk," Daniel F. Martuscello III, commissioner of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, said in a statement.
"The use of drones to deliver weapons, drugs, and cell phones is an evolving but imminent threat that our correctional system is facing as we continue to close off other means of introducing contraband into our facilities," Martuscello added.
Contraband incident prompts calls to 'criminalize the use of drones'
Following the incident, the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said it supported Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposal to strengthen the state's ability to address illegal drone activity by banning the unlawful use of drones and limiting their activity over sensitive areas, such as correctional facilities.
The governor's proposal would also establish new criminal offenses for illegal drone activity and expand the authority of law enforcement agencies to detect, intercept, and disable drones that pose a threat to public safety, according to the department. In addition, the proposal would create a registry to identify approved drones and drone mitigation technology that may be bought by the state.
"The use of drones for illegal activities, such as smuggling contraband into correctional facilities, has become a growing threat to the safety of everyone inside our prisons," Chris Summers, president of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, said in a statement.
"This trend poses a serious risk to the safety of both staff and inmates," Summers added. "We fully support the governor's proposal to criminalize the use of drones within 500 feet of correctional facilities, and we urge the State Legislature to stand behind this critical initiative."
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Using drones to smuggle contraband into prisons is not a new tactic, and authorities across the country have beengrappling with the issue for years. TheNational Institute of Correctionssays that contraband — such as drugs and weapons — pose a "significant risk in correctional environments, where the potential for violence and drug abuse is high."
A 2023 report from theNational Institute of Justicefound that between 2015 and 2019, the Department of Justice reported 130 drone incidents in federal prisons. But the report noted that the number of documented drone incidents is "almost certainly low."
Several incidents in recent years have made national headlines, including in December 2025 when crab legs, steak, and drugs were sent to aSouth Carolina prison. In March 2024, Georgia authoritiesarrested and charged 150 peoplefor their roles in an elaborate contraband-smuggling scheme that involved using drones to deliver drugs to prisons.
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Upstate New York prison has been under scrutiny
The Marcy Correctional Facility has faced scrutiny in recent years over allegations of rampant abuse by staff, retaliatory actions at the facility, poor conditions, and inadequate health care and services, according to reports from theCorrectional Association of New York.
Scrutiny of the facility intensified following several high-profile incidents, including the 2024 death of inmate Robert Brooks, whichsparked public outrageand prompted community protests. Hochul later orderedprison reformsand theimmediate dismissalof more than a dozen corrections employees involved in the attack.
Brooks, 43, was beaten bymultiple officersinside the Marcy Correctional Facility in December 2024 and died at a hospital. Officers had not activated their body cameras, butvideo takenwhile the devices were in standby mode showed them punching, kicking, and choking Brooks while his hands were handcuffed behind his back.
Ten corrections officers were indicted in the case, including seven whopleaded guilty to manslaughteror lesser charges, according to reporting byUtica Observer Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network. One was convicted of murder, and two were acquittedlast fall.
The incident renewed calls for accountability and reform within New York's prison system. Advocates for criminal justice reform also highlighted previous incidents of alleged misconduct and abuse by staff at state prisons.
Brooks joined a list of state inmates who have died after run-ins with New York prison guards in recent years, the USA TODAY Network's New York State Teampreviously reported. Over the past 20 years, civil rights attorney Katie Rosenfeld has filed several lawsuits against the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision for mistreatment of inmates at the Marcy Correctional Facility and elsewhere.
In another lawsuit filed in 2023, civil rights attorney Amy Jane Agnew said Marcy Correctional Facility officers retaliate against inmates by meting out assaults during van rides when they're alone with officers.
Contributing: Casey Pritchard,Utica Observer Dispatch; Thomas C. Zambito, USA TODAY Network - New York State Team
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NY prison staff intercept drone delivering knives, 'leafy substance''