The Georgia Department of Corrections and the FBI have broken up a multi-state criminal operation involving the use of drones to smuggle contraband into state prisons.

Dubbed “Operation Skyhawk,” the months-long investigation into contraband at GDC facilities revealed the use of drones to facilitate the introduction of contraband. That discovery led to the arrest of 150 suspects, including eight GDC employees who were immediately terminated.

With a combined total of over 1,000 criminal charges stemming from contraband introduction, drug trafficking, and felons in possession of firearms, many of the individuals arrested will also be facing Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) charges and Participation in Criminal Gang Activity in multiple venues across the state, resulting in what will possibly be the largest Gang RICO in the state’s history.

Items that have been confiscated thus far during the operation include the following items, with a total combined street value of over $7 million: drones, weapons, cell phones, tobacco, marijuana, methamphetamine, ecstasy, cocaine and other drugs.