A drone loaded with an unusually indulgent mix of contraband and high-end groceries was intercepted above a South Carolina correctional facility early Sunday.
Authorities said the aircraft was spotted above Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville before officers recovered its payload and the drone itself.
The items attached to the device included raw steak, plastic-wrapped crab legs, Old Bay Seasoning, a carton of cigarettes, large quantities of marijuana and a vacuum-sealed package of loose tobacco.
Officials with the South Carolina Department of Corrections said the find immediately stood out for both its contents and its timing.
The agency announced the discovery on social media with the tag “#ContrabandChristmas.”
In the post, the department noted that the items reflected plans for a makeshift holiday feast involving seafood, steak and various forms of illicit substances.
One portion of the message read, “Seems some folks were planning an early holiday Old Bay [Seasoning] crab boil and steak dinner along with their marijuana and cigarettes ā all dropped by a drone at Lee CI.”
Photographs shared by the agency showed the entire assortment laid out on a table, with the raw steak appearing to have been packed in such a way as to avoid spoiling during its flight.
The crab legs were wrapped tightly in plastic, while the Old Bay Seasoning and cigarettes appeared untouched.
š¦ Seems some folks were planning an early holiday Old Bay crab boil and steak dinner along with their marijuana and cigarettes ā all dropped by a drone at Lee CI. #ContrabandChristmas #WeAreCorrections pic.twitter.com/abiQzJgN1r
— S.C. Department of Corrections (@SCDCNews) December 8, 2025
Two sizable bags of marijuana and the sealed pouch of tobacco were placed beside them.
Corrections officials said that the drone was also recovered at the scene, and that investigators have not identified any suspects. No arrests have been made.
The inquiry remains open, and officials have not revealed whether they believe the package was intended for specific inmates.
Chrysti Shain, a spokeswoman for the department, said the mix of items was unusual even for a facility that encounters frequent smuggling attempts.
“As you likely know, we often see odd items included in contraband packages, but this was a bit unusual, even for us,” she said.
Lock Them Up! Russiagate is reigniting…
Obama, Clinton, Comey, and Brennan are all on the hook!
CLICK HERE to demand Russiagate conspirators got to prison!
She hilariously added, “Iām guessing the inmates who were expecting this package are a bit crabby.”
Shain also noted that officers at Lee Correctional Institution have dealt with persistent drone drops for years, calling the problem a nightly challenge.
According to Shain, illicit deliveries have grown more complicated and more dangerous as drones have become more common.
She said the department regularly deals with incoming packages containing pills, methamphetamine and fentanyl.
“Contraband is a real threat to prisons across the country, and we fight nightly attacks from drones dropping dangerous drugs (often fentanyl and meth) onto prison yards,” she said. “We go to extraordinary lengths to combat drones.”
Drone smuggling has become a significant concern for correctional systems across the United States.
In a separate case earlier this year, three people in North Carolina were arrested after allegedly attempting to use a drone to deliver items such as K2 paper, meth, tobacco, cigarettes and suboxone strips to Anson Correctional Institution.
Police said the attempted delivery occurred on March 28 and that officers seized both the contraband and the drone.
All three individuals, identified as Roland Snoke, David Johnson and Trudy Gibbs, were apprehended at the facility and given secured bonds of $100,000.
Another investigation in Indiana centered on an incident in mid May when a drone was detected near a prison complex.
Court documents stated that officers tracked the aircraft to a wooded area adjacent to the facility.
When officers arrived, they heard movement and saw two men dressed in black running across nearby railroad tracks. Both suspects were detained a short distance away.
Police said one of the men had been carrying a backpack that was found near the fence line they had crossed.
Inside the bag, officers found more than 225 grams of marijuana, over 200 packages of buprenorphine and naloxone film, a mobile phone, cigars, cigarettes, a lighter, a vape device, two drone batteries, a drone remote and additional equipment tied to the aircraft.
In Alabama, an early morning alert at Easterling Correctional Facility in Clio in June led to the arrest of two suspects linked to another drone drop.
Investigators said prison tracking dogs found two backpacks filled with marijuana, methamphetamine, fentanyl and synthetic cannabinoids.
Authorities alleged that the pair used a specialized SwellPro Fishermanās Max Drone to deliver the items.
The suspects, identified as Lashawn Markeith Lamar and Shaquasia Lachelsea Owens, were charged with several counts including promoting prison contraband, possession of narcotics and the unlawful transfer of prohibited items by airborne device.
Drone smuggling also surfaced in Georgia in October, where deputies in Washington County said they uncovered a suspected operation targeting Washington State Prison.
Deputies initially stopped a vehicle in Davisboro and found a drone in plain view along with several cellophane-wrapped packages, marijuana, cellphones, lighters and a handgun.
Investigators later connected a second traffic stop nearby to the same operation.
That stop led to the arrest of two more individuals, both of whom faced charges involving the distribution of contraband.
Officials in Georgia later launched Operation Skyhawk, a lengthy investigation that dismantled what authorities described as a well-coordinated smuggling ring using drones.
The operation involved more than 150 arrests, including inmates and prison staff, and the seizure of contraband valued at more than seven million dollars on the street.
Investigators involved in the case said drone activity around prisons has grown daily and that prisons frequently report multiple sightings in short time spans.
One official told ABC News that the threat had become so routine that a drone drop occurred only miles away during his interview.
Law enforcement officials said drone technology has advanced rapidly, allowing flights from as far as one hundred miles away and enabling payloads weighing between fifty and two hundred twenty pounds. One officer stated, “It can actually lift a person up.”
Authorities told ABC News that many of the drone deliveries are directed by organized criminal networks, including cartels.
Robert Green, executive director of the American Correctional Association, said, “These are organized groups, gangs, cartels. We’re talking about large sums of money, anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 a flight, bringing in this level of contraband.”
Under existing Federal Aviation Administration rules, drones are treated as registered aircraft, leaving prison officers without legal authority to disable or bring them down.
One official noted that while prisons have physical barriers around the perimeter, they have no equivalent protection above them.
“We have detection authority, but we don’t have the mitigation authority to be able to safely bring those drones down,” he said.
