Drones used for Queensland jail drug deliveries

Brazen criminals have taken to the sky to fly drugs and other contraband into Queensland prisons.

Brazen criminals have taken to the sky to fly drugs and other contraband into Queensland prisons, with corrective services facing a surge in drones attempting to fly banned goods to inmates.

Data obtained by The Courier-Mail shows the number of drones detected attempting to infiltrate prisons with contraband has soared in the past 12 months.

Corrective Services Minister Mark Ryan said drones were an “emerging threat”.

“Queensland Corrective Services has recently deployed additional technologies to detect and prevent drone incursions at all centres across the state, and the consequence is more drones are being detected and intercepted and contraband is being prevented from entering correctional facilities,” he said.

The data shows drones were detected 33 times last financial year, and just six times the previous year – up more than 450 per cent.

Sixteen drones were detected in the 2020-21 financial year.

In 2022-23, two drones were reported as carrying drug-related contraband.

One of those incidents in July last year involved a drone trying to drop drugs into Woodford Correctional Centre, but it was disabled and seized by prison officers. It is understood people were acting suspiciously outside the jail and fled when prison staff approached.

An officer told The Courier-Mail at the time that subutex strips, which is the drug buprenorphine used for opioid addiction, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in jail was seized. The officer said cocaine was also found on the device.

Another drone carrying a package was intercepted in April last year.

A QCS spokesman said they were working hard to stop the devices.

“Queensland Corrective Services has a zero-tolerance approach to the introduction of drugs and contraband into correctional centres,” he said.

“Contraband introduced by drones is an emerging threat.

“Whether it is illicit drugs, weapons or mobile phones, using drones to introduce contraband places our officers and prisoners at risk, and jeopardises the safety and security of facilities.

“The drone detection market is a rapidly evolving technology sector and QCS is actively assessing different technologies to prevent drone incursions at all centres across the state.”

QCS also recorded more than 2400 instances where drug-related contraband was intercepted last financial year, including prescription and illicit drugs.

Last month, a drug detection dog sniffed out $1.2m worth of drugs on a visitor at Woodford Correctional Centre.