There have been conflicting reports about a drone that may have dropped drugs into an Ohio prison yard.
When a drone was spotted over the Mansfield prison, it raised new worries about people using these aircrafts to commit illegal acts.
Kyle Belman is an experienced drone operator and said a drone could easily carry a half pound or more with the right technology.
“I'm sure it was an amateur who went to Amazon or a hobby store and saw the capabilities of these things and decided to experiment with it,” he said.
Mansfield prison officials said a half pound of tobacco, two ounces of marijuana and a quarter ounce of heroin were allegedly dumped over the prison wall via a drone last week.
The state of Ohio does not have any laws that prevent someone from flying a drone over a prison.
The prison said: "Upon reviewing the cameras, it was determined that a drone passed over the recreation yards" and “further investigation concluded that a drone dropped off a package which was intended for an inmate."
There was also a fight at the prison at roughly the same time the drone was spotted, and the drugs were found inside the prison.
But the Ohio State Highway Patrol isn't so sure that's how the drugs landed behind prison walls.
“We don't know whether the drone did drop the drugs or whether the drugs were in the area prior to the drone coming through,” Lt. Craig Cvetan of the OSHP said.
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction said it's no longer talking about the incident, but OSHP said the alleged drug drop has them on alert should someone try it again.
“That's one thing the criminals do, they look at the latest technology. It's certainly something we aware of,” Lt. Cvetan said. “Since it's not illegal to fly a drone, we would have to have some association that it's connected to some illegal activity.”
The Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates drones, prohibits the dropping of items for a drone without permission. The drone in this case was never found.