Two Georgia teens charged in drone contraband drop attempt at state prison

Two suspects from Georgia landed in jail after trying to use a drone to drop contraband including drugs and cell phones at a medium-security prison last week.

The attempt took place on May 3 at Washington State Prison in Davisboro. Authorities spotted suspicious vehicle activity and stopped the drop, according to a social media post from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies found several bags with about 2.95 pounds of marijuana, tobacco products, cell phones, clothing and electronics chargers. The sheriff’s office also recovered razor blades hidden in a nearby field, with evidence tying the suspects to the site.

Photos from the department showed the haul: bags of marijuana, rolling papers, wireless headphones and more than two dozen lighters.

Investigators identified the pair in the vehicle as 17-year-old Mariana Torres and 19-year-old Anyela Contreas Torres. Deputies took both into custody without trouble.

Authorities charged them with using an unmanned aircraft to commit violations, possession of a drone during a crime, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, items prohibited for inmates, trading with inmates involving phones, trading with inmates involving drugs, trading with inmates involving tobacco, possession of a weapon during a crime and possession of tools during a crime.

In 2019, Gov. Brian Kemp signed Senate Bill 6, which bans drones from delivering or attempting to deliver contraband to prisons.

Still, the prison and local jail face more drone smuggling. Washington County Sheriff Joel Cochran told WGXA his agency has dealt with drone sightings and incidents over the past four years to bring contraband inside.

In October, Cochran said deputies had arrested 17 people for attempted drone drops since the start of 2025. Of the 170 inmates at Washington County Jail, 75 faced charges tied to prison deliveries.

"Right now, I've got 44 percent of my population in the county jail related to prison drop cases there at the Washington State Prison – 44 percent. For me, that seems like a lot, and it's a burden on the taxpayers," Cochran said.

Cochran blamed better drone technology that carries bigger loads. "They got more functions, and the technology is so much better than when they started out," he told WGXA. "It's easier, I think, for them to use drones than maybe go back to the older way of having to get the contraband into these facilities."

Fox News Digital contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia Department of Corrections for comment.