Arabic version: اتهام رجل بشأن تهريب مخدرات بطائرة مسيّرة إلى سجن تاونسفيل
According to ABC News, a 47-year-old Queensland man has been charged after authorities alleged a drone was used to deliver more than $1 million worth of drugs and other contraband into the Townsville Correctional Centre.
Corrective services officers intercepted the drone in May after it was seen flying over the Townsville Correctional Centre. A package attached to the aircraft contained methylamphetamine and GBL, along with a large quantity of prescription drugs, syringes, a glass pipe, a mobile phone and a SIM card.
The man faces five counts of supplying dangerous drugs into a correctional facility. He has also been charged with trafficking dangerous drugs, dealing with a prohibited item in a corrective services facility, supplying a medication and drone-related offences.
The contraband carried by the drone was estimated to be worth $1 million. The man is due to face the Townsville Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Detective Acting Inspector Erica Gray, of the Corrective Services Investigation Unit, described the charges as a disruption to the supply of drugs into Queensland prisons. “Preventing drugs from entering correctional facilities is critical to the safety of staff, prisoners and the broader community,” she said. The prison had a similar incident in 2022, when officers found a crashed drone carrying illicit drugs and tobacco; a man was charged over that matter in 2023.
