Georgia prisons see surge in drone smuggling as officials push for new authority

Criminal organizations are finding new ways to support criminal activity within prisons in Georgia and nationwide.

ABC News reports that organized crime groups are using drones to smuggle contraband into prisons, including cell phones, drugs, and even weapons.

“We’re under attack every single day when it comes to combating this issue,” said Tyrone Oliver, commissioner for the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDOC), in an interview with ABC. “It’s a threat from above.”

Recognizing the problem drones pose to prison security, GDOC officials partnered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2024 to conduct “Operation Skyhawk.” The investigation led to 150 arrests and more than $7 million of confiscated items.

However, Oliver told ABC News that drone-related  security breaches happen almost daily. In November, GDOC reported 71 drone incidents, which is the highest number ever.

Because drones are considered registered aircraft under Federal Aviation Administration guidelines, prison staff are not allowed to take them down.

“We have all the fencing to protect people from getting in or, most importantly, getting out, but we don’t have the protection of the airspace,” Oliver said. “We have detection authority, but we don’t have the mitigation authority to be able to safely bring those drones down.”

Congress is expected to consider later this month the National Defense Authorization Act, which would grant correctional facilities the authority to detect, track and counter drones. The House passed the legislation with a bipartisan vote on Wednesday.

At a Georgia House appropriations meeting Dec. 3, Oliver reported that GDOC has handled nearly 400 incidents involving drones in 2025.

“Actually, we have, we’ve confiscated drones that are large enough to lift up 220, 225 pounds,” Oliver said during the meeting. “We got one earlier today that’s, again, that can lift about 80 pounds or 90 pounds.”

GDOC officials also expressed concerns to lawmakers at the meeting about counties having to pay to store captured drones. 

The number of incidents involving drones has steadily risen month-to-month this year, starting at 17 in January and rising to 63 incidents in both September and October.