- CCTV footage shows an unauthorised drone making a night-time prison drop-off
- The suspicious aircraft dropped a package inside Lithgow Correctional Centre
- An inmate was later foung to be carrying 403 steroid pills hidden in his clothing
A drone suspected of smuggling hundreds of illegal pills into a New South Wales maximum security prison has been caught on camera making a night time drop-off.
Shocking security camera footage shows the suspicious aircraft dropping a package inside Lithgow Correctional Centre, a prison just over 150 kilometres west of Sydney.
The discovery was made after a member of the public alerted the centre of a drone flying in its vicinity Monday evening.
A drone suspected of smuggling hundreds of illegal pills into a New South Wales maximum security prison has been caught on camera at Lithgow Correctional Centre
Officers conducted extensive searches of the outdoor area the following morning but were unable to find anything, so they performed a series of raids.
An inmate believed to be ‘behaving suspiciously’ after the raids was later found to be carrying more than 400 steroid pills.
‘That inmate was searched and officers seized two packages containing 403 capsules which was concealed in his clothing,’ NSW Corrective services said in a statement.
Corrective Services say the use of drones in transporting narcotics into prisons had been a growing concern.
Shocking security camera footage shows the suspicious aircraft dropping a package inside the centre’s boundary fence
An inmate believed to be ‘behaving suspiciously’ after the raids was later found to be carrying more than 400 steroid pills (stock photo used)
‘Our staff have been on the alert for drones for some time. The use of drones to introduce illegal items into prisons is an emerging issue,’ Corrective Services NSW Acting Commissioner Luke Grant said.
The suspected contraband drop-off is the first of its kind to be caught on CCTV at a NSW prison.
The maximum penalty for smuggling contraband is two years prison.
Police investigations are under way.
The suspected contraband drop-off is the first of its kind to be caught on CCTV at a NSW prison