3 Michigan men arrested after drone appears to deliver contraband tobacco to federal prison

Three Michigan men were arrested after authorities determined a drone appeared to be delivering small packages of tobacco near a federal prison in West Virginia. 

The McDowell County Sheriff's Office in West Virginia, which reported the arrests, said a federal correctional officer reported a drone flying over Federal Correctional Institution McDowell in the city of Welch at 12:43 a.m. Sunday. The sheriff's office said there had been previous incidents of drone-related contraband flights at the prison. 

Prior contraband attempts involved the launch of a drone from the dead end of Noe Street, just east of the facility, deputies said. When the officers went to that location at about 1:11 a.m., they found a black Volkswagen sedan parked at the dead end. 

Three men were found in the car. They were identified as Terry Younger, age 27; Lagearl Rimpson, age 36; and Kenley Fuller, age 37. and deputies said they were all from Michigan. All three were arrested on charges of aiding escape and other offenses relating to a correctional facility, along with unlawful operation of an unmanned aerial device. 

Deputies also found a drone controller on the ground, near the passenger side of the car. The controller included a live camera feed from the drone, and "packages of suspected contraband could be observed hanging from the drone," the report said. 

While deputies were still on scene, the controller sounded a warning that the drone's battery was running low. 

After that alert, the drone fell and crashed into a wooded area about 200 feet from the end of the street. 

Deputies found the crashed drone, and discovered that its landing lights and other operational lights had been covered. A package, still attached to the drone, had been vacuum-sealed and "camouflaged with adhesive and grass," the report said.

Tobacco could be seen inside the package. 

As deputies searched the vehicle, they found an additional package bundled in the same manner and appeared to also be containing tobacco. 

The McDowell County Sheriff's Office said it continues to work with the federal correctional personnel and other law enforcement agencies to identify and prosecute those who engage in criminal activity at or near FCI McDowell. 

FCI McDowell is a medium-security men's correctional facility housing about 1,585 inmates in southern West Virginia. The campus also includes a minimum-security camp housing about 74 inmates.