A large drone carrying suspected drugs, cell phones and other items crashed on Chattooga County property in Summerville, adding to concerns about the ongoing problem of contraband being smuggled into Georgia prisons.
Employees discovered the drone Monday morning when they arrived for work at the Chattooga County Public Works property on Stockade Road.
The newspaper reports that the drone had crashed into a buggy on the property. Employees initially were unsure what they had found before realizing the unusually large aircraft was carrying a payload and contacting law enforcement.
Items reportedly recovered with the drone included suspected methamphetamine, a large quantity of marijuana, several cell phones and at least six prepaid Samsung Galaxy phones.
The drone itself was described as considerably larger than many commercially available drones and appeared to have been specially equipped to carry and release a payload. A cellphone was also reportedly attached to the aircraft, possibly for use in tracking the drone during flight.
Hays State Prison is located just northeast of the county Public Works property where the drone crashed. Contraband entering the prison has been a recurring problem in recent years. In December 2025, Georgia Department of Corrections officials reported that 403 grams of methamphetamine were recovered in connection with an attempted contraband introduction at Hays. Earlier that month, authorities also recovered a backpack containing contraband in woods near the prison.
Other incidents at Hays have involved marijuana and other prohibited items. In July 2025, authorities reported finding 1,654 grams of marijuana and hundreds of sheets of paper soaked in an unknown substance concealed in coolers during an attempted delivery to the prison.
The problem extends well beyond Hays. Georgia officials have increasingly focused on the use of drones to carry drugs, cell phones and other contraband into correctional facilities. Earlier this year, the Georgia Attorney General’s Office said the Department of Corrections had been averaging nearly 58 drone incidents per month over the previous six months.
Georgia prison officials have also reported numerous drone-related interceptions at other facilities this year, including incidents involving marijuana, tobacco, cell phones and drone equipment.
No arrests have been announced in connection with the drone found on the Chattooga County Public Works property.
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