Texas pair arrested for using fake crows flown by drone — to smuggle these illegal items into Louisiana prison
Two Texas women went to extreme lengths to sneak contraband into a federal prison — hiding drugs and phones inside a fake crow they tried to fly over the facility using a drone.
Melanie Jean Worthington, 38, and Kassy Marie Cole, 41, were reportedly paid $40,000 to transport phones, meth, marijuana, and tobacco into the Grant Parish Federal Prison in Louisiana. Authorities arrested the women early Monday after their unusual plan was discovered, according to the Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office.
It remains unclear whether the contraband was intended to be dropped in a single delivery or multiple attempts. The prison-bound packages were hidden inside decoy crows, which the women released via a drone. The faux birds were carefully crafted, with packages forming much of the body and part of the wings. The decoys even had full heads, beaks, eyes, and tail feathers, mostly made from tape and plastic bags, according to photos released by the sheriff’s office.
Their arrests represent the ninth and tenth attempts to smuggle contraband into the prison this year, averaging about one arrest per week. Many previous attempts involved drugs such as oxycodone and psilocybin mushrooms, and one visitor even tried to smuggle 12 gallons of vodka, KPLC 7 reported.
Worthington was charged with possession of methamphetamine and marijuana with intent to distribute, as well as taking contraband into a penal institution. Cole, who had an outstanding warrant, was charged with possession of methamphetamine and synthetic marijuana with intent to distribute and taking contraband into a penal institution.
Last year, more than 50 people were caught attempting to smuggle banned items into Grant Parish Prison, KALB 5 reported.
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