BRIEF: Texas man drops contraband into prison via drone, pleads guilty

U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham announced a man from Smithville, Texas has pleaded guilty to the charge of attempting to provide contraband to a prisoner.

Bryant LeRay Henderson, 42, now faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

Using drones to deliver contraband is a growing issue for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. A 44-year-old Houston man was charged for allegedly operating a drone over FCI Beaumont in east Texas. April saw a 30-year-old former inmate conspire to smuggle phones and tobacco into FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey. Last fall, three Atlanta men were sentenced to a year each in federal prison for smuggling contraband into Telfair State Prison using drones.

“Contraband drone deliveries are quickly becoming the bane of prison officials’ existence. Illicit goods pose a threat to guards and inmates alike – and when it comes to cell phones, the threat often extends outside prison walls. We are determined to stop this trend in its tracks,” said Meacham.

The full release from the Department of Justice can be read online at justice.gov/usao-ndtx/pr/texas-man-pleads-guilty-delivering-contraband-prison-drone.