Man allegedly used drone to smuggle contraband into Texas prison Prosecutors said Davien Turner was trying to use a heavy-duty drone to smuggle items like wire cutters, cell phones and tobacco into a federal prison. (NCD)

BEAUMONT, Texas — Federal prosecutors say a man was caught trying to smuggle banned items into a federal prison in Texas using a heavy-duty drone.

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Davien Phillip Turner, also known as Davien Phillip Mayo, was indicted by a grand jury and faces charges of owning or operating a drone that is not registered and serving or attempting to serve as an airman without an airman’s certificate, prosecutors said in a news release.

At a news conference, prosecutors said they did not have any evidence that Turner was successful in smuggling items into the prison, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.

U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston shared photos at the news conference showing the items that Turner is accused of trying to deliver into the prison, which included wire cutters, money, cellphones, cellphone chargers and tobacco, KXAS reported.

Federal prosecutors said the items were intended to be sold by inmates within the prison.

Featherston told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that this is the first federal case involving smuggling attempts by drones to be charged in Texas, and the third in the United States.

“Around the country, drone use in smuggling into prisons has been on the rise,” Featherston told the newspaper.

If convicted, Turner faces up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

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