Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said drone-delivered contraband has become a serious prison safety threat, and his office is working with the Trump administration to give correctional officers the tools needed to effectively counter it.
The issue of drones dropping illegal items into prisons has grown in recent months, raising concerns about safety and security for both staff and inmates. Carr said, “Drones are dropping a staggering amount of contraband into our prisons, and law enforcement are doing their best to combat the problem, but their hands are tied. Current rules put those on the front lines – our correctional officers – at a significant disadvantage, and we have to ensure they have the resources they need to do their jobs. We fought to block contraband cell phones in prisons and jails, and now we’re proud to work with the Trump administration to address this latest public safety concern,” according to a press release by Carr.
Carr is leading a coalition of 21 states urging the Trump administration to extend drone-interdiction authority to state and local law enforcement. Currently, these agencies lack legal power under federal law to detect, track, or disable unauthorized drones despite an increase in contraband drops at correctional facilities. In Georgia alone, the Department of Corrections recorded an average of nearly 58 drone incidents per month over the past six months. Recovered items included narcotics such as marijuana, ecstasy, methamphetamine, as well as cell phones, razors, liquor, and food according to a press release by Carr.
In a letter addressed to White House counterterrorism official Dr. Sebastian Gorka, the coalition praised the administration’s creation of a Task Force to Restore American Airspace Sovereignty. The attorneys general requested that federal agencies work together with corrections officials so they can intervene before drones reach prison grounds. They also called for continued collaboration in investigating and prosecuting those responsible for orchestrating these drops according to a press release by Carr.
“This type of illegal activity is happening all over the country, and the consequences are severe. The introduction of drugs contributes to addiction, violence, and overdose incidents. Smuggled weapons heighten the risk of assaults and coordinated acts of violence. Contraband cell phones enable incarcerated individuals to continue criminal enterprises, including fraud schemes, witness intimidation, and violent crime,” said the letter according to Georgia.gov.
Carr was appointed as Georgia’s attorney general by then-Governor Nathan Deal in 2016 and was re-elected in November 2022. Since taking office he has focused on issues such as human trafficking, gang activity, and opioid misuse—including establishing Georgia’s first Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit and Gang Prosecution Unit according to Georgia.gov.
