Group accused of federal prison contraband drone smuggling scheme ran out of former Macon daycare
Federal prosecutors have indicted 12 people accused of using drones to smuggle contraband into 10 federal prisons around the country.
Authorities say the scheme used a former Macon day care center, referred to as "The Lab," to store most of the drones and illicit items.
According to the indictment, Macon resident Ira Christopher Jackson, 42, led the operation, communicating with federal inmates using smuggled cell phones to organize the contraband drops. Once the plan was made, members of the group would fly the heavy payload drones over the prisons and drop their packages.
Investigators say the group dropped illegal contraband at least 38 times at prisons in Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia between September 2023 and May 2026.
Among the illegal items allegedly dropped were methamphetamine, marijuana, cell phones, and objects like saw blades to be used by inmates as weapons or to help with escape plans, the indictment says.
Authorities say the indictment is the largest federal prosecution to date involving coordinated drone operations to smuggle contraband into prisons.
The individuals charged in the indictment include four current or former inmates.
The full list of those included in the indictment is below:
- Ira Christopher Jackson, 42, of Macon
- Kenna Middleton, 45, of Macon
- Leviticus Blash, 42, of Macon
- Chrystal Dunn, 37, of Macon and Greenville, South Carolina
- Jeff Richardson, 23, of Macon and East Point, Georgia
- Tysean Richardson, 23, of Macon and East Point, Georgia
- Glenn Middleton, 70, of Macon
- Aaron Hubbard, 37, a BOP inmate at FCI Beckley
- Xavier Maxwell, 30, of Macon
- Lametheus Douglas, 47, a BOP inmate at FCI Manchester and FMC Lexington
- Robert Lee Whisby, Jr., 51, a BOP inmate at FCI Memphis;
- James Phillips, 51, of Jacksonville, Florida, was a BOP inmate at FCI Jesup, FCI Talladega, and other BOP facilities.
Jackson, Kenna Middleton, Blash, Dunn, Jeff Richardson, and Tysean Richardson all face a maximum of life in prison.
Glenn Middleton is facing a maximum of 20 years in prison, plus a minimum of five years imprisonment consecutive if found guilty of other charges.
Hubbard is facing up to 30 years in prison. Maxwell is facing a maximum of 20 years in prison. Douglas, Whisby, and Phillips are all facing up to five years in prison.
