(RepublicanDaily.org) – Authorities have apprehended a whopping 150 people who are allegedly involved in a massive smuggling ring responsible for transporting contraband into various prison facilities in Georgia.
According to law enforcement, the operation utilized drones to smuggle prohibited items such as cellphones, weapons, and drugs into facilities overseen by the Georgia Department of Corrections. The operation also had the support of several individuals working inside the correction facilities – eight prison employees were among those who were arrested. According to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, civilian visitors to the prison also participated in the scheme.
Officials say that the operation is highly organized and extends to outside the state of Georgia. Given the scope of the contraband smuggling operation, it is considered the largest of its kind in the history of the Peach State.
The perpetrators will be charged with a bevy of crimes, including violations of the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act, involvement in criminal gang activity, possession of firearms by convicted felons, and contraband introduction. Authorities have already levelled as many as a total of 1,000 charges against the suspects they have arrested.
The arrests were the culmination of a 16-month investigation into the scheme. Dubbed “Operation Skyhawk,” the investigation found that the criminal enterprise had smuggled more than 400 cellphones into prison facilities, as well as a staggering amount and variety of illegal substances such as tobacco, methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, as well as various pills and opioids — including some that contained fentanyl. The illegal smuggling operation also managed to get dozens of weapons past prison security and into the hands of inmates.
The scheme involved the contraband being smuggled into the facility by inmates’ associates and family members, and through drones flown into the prisons. A local drone repair shop owner was also among those arrested, with authorities believing that the shop functioned as one of the operating centers of the smuggling ring.
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