Texas man pleads guilty to flying drone loaded with drugs, phones, mp3 players into Fort Worth prison
FORT WORTH, Texas - A Texas man admitted to flying a drone loaded with drugs, phones and mp3 players into a Fort Worth prison.
42-year-old Bryant LeRay Henderson pleaded guilty to attempting to provide contraband to a prisoner on Wednesday.
(U.S. Department of Justice)
"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 U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham.
READ MORE: Drone loaded with drugs, phones flown into Fort Worth prison, investigators say
Henderson was arrested at his home in Smithville this August after he flew the drone into a fenced-in section of FMC Fort Worth just before midnight on Wednesday, May 4.
Prison staff recovered the drone, which had a package attached to it.
Inside the package, staff found 46 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 87 grams of pressed THC, two prepaid smartphones, and nine mp3 players, according to the Department of Justice.
Surveillance video from O.D. Wyatt High school on the night of the incident showed a man in a red Tahoe remove a drone and package from the truck, fly the drone towards the prison and drive off.
Two and a half weeks later, officers found the vehicle abandoned on the side of the road.
Henderson's debit card was found inside, along with a drone controller, according to court documents.
(U.S. Department of Justice)
From the drone itself, investigators found flight logs, which included four flights over FMC Fort Worth's airspace and two over a federal prison in Seagoville.
"The criminal element will always take advantage of new opportunities for illegal activity as technology progresses," said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno.
Henderson now faces up to 20 years in federal prison.