Authorities are investigating after the apparent attempt to smuggle contraband into Goulburn jail using a flying carrier went wrong.

Staff at the high-security facility, which is home to some of the nation’s worst criminals, found the items at 9am on Friday before handing them over to police.

The discovery comes after two other similar incidents involving drones. Last month staff sighted a drone above Kempsey jail, while another airborne device was detected dropping more than 400 steroid capsules into Lithgow’s correctional facility.

State Corrections Minister David Elliott said he would be looking into what further measures could be put into place to restrict drones and aircraft around prisons.

“Drones are a threat to the safety and security of officers and the correctional system and I will be looking at what further safeguards can be put in place to further restrict the use of drones and other aircraft in the vicinity of prisons,” he said.

A Corrective Services spokeswoman said the broken drone, two 50g tobacco packets and a mobile phone were found on the roof of a demountable building that had just been moved to the centre from an external storage area.

“Corrective Services NSW continues to proactively investigate and review emerging technologies to further mitigate the risk posed by drones to the security and good order of correctional centres,” she said.

“Policies and procedures are in place to deal with such situations, and staff are proactive in their surveillance to detect drones.

“Mesh has been installed in one correctional centre exercise yards to deter contraband from being thrown or dropped inside and secure the yard to prevent security breaches.”

State opposition corrections spokesman Guy Zangari said in the past two years there had been reports of drone incidents at Bathurst, Goulburn, Kempsey, Lithgow and Silverwater.

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“There have now been three incidents of drones being used to smuggle contraband into NSW prisons in as many weeks and yet Corrections Minister David Elliott has failed to come up with a plan to combat them,” he said.

“The Lithgow incident was only detected because a sharp-eyed member of the public saw the drone hovering over the facility.

“The NSW Government has been talking about thermal imaging and mobile jammers but is yet to roll either out to all correctional facilities.”