Drone Drops Contraband Into an Upstate New York Prison

Officials have confirmed that a drone flying above an Upstate New York prison dropped a package of various contraband from the sky inside the prison’s secure fence.

Drone Drops Contraband Package Into Prison in Marcy, New York

According to the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), staff at the Marcy Correctional Facility have confiscated a package full of contraband after it was dropped from a drone that was flying above the facility in Marcy, NY.

A DOCCS press release stated that staff first detected the drone flying above the facility at approximately 1 a.m. on Saturday, March 14th, 2026. Following the discovery, staff said that the drone released a package between dormitory buildings inside the facility’s secure fence.

Package Dropped From Sky Into New York Prison

Staff were able to quickly recover the package, which had wires protruding from it, and notified the New York State Police and the DOCCS Office of Special Investigations.

The New York State Police dispatched its bomb squad to the scene to investigate the package, and were able to determine that it did not pose an immediate threat.

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Once deemed safe, the package was opened and found to contain the following contraband:

• Two eight-inch, double-edged knives
• Approximately 530 grams of a green leafy substance
• Five full pieces of paper saturated in intoxicating chemicals
• One cell phone
• Two hair clippers with chargers and accessories
• Four bandanas

Officials didn't say if they had any idea who was operating the drone, or for which inmate the package was intended, but did say that they were able to recover the drone used in the incident outside the facility.

The investigation is ongoing.

New "Drone "Law Needed in New York

Following the incident, DOCCS expressed how important a change to state law is necessary to combat the growing threat of aerial delivery of contraband to its facilities.

New York Governor Katy Hochul has included a proposal in New York's FY27 Executive Budget that would address the growing threat of drones being used to deliver dangerous contraband into the State’s correctional facilities.

The proposal would strengthen the State’s ability to address illegal drone activity by:

• Prohibiting the use of drones in a nefarious manner and restricting drone activity over sensitive locations, including correctional facilities.
• Establishing new criminal offenses for unlawful drone activity.
• Expanding the authority of trained law enforcement agencies to detect, intercept, and disable drones that pose a public safety threat, with any mitigation actions reported to the New York State Police.
• Directing the State Police to establish a registry known as the New York State Blue List, identifying approved drones and drone mitigation technology that may be purchased by the State.

DOCCS also stated it "strongly supports" the new proposal.