Drones Used to Smuggle Drugs into French Prison, 5 Arrested and 1,826 Deliveries in 51 Days

French police announced the arrest of five people in an operation targeting a network that used drones to transport narcotics into Villefranche-sur-Saône prison.

Three of the five suspects were caught in the act. Those arrested include a minor, who has been sent to a secure educational facility, where he will remain until his trial in September.

The four adult suspects are expected to stand trial in October, while three of them have been remanded in custody.

Authorities described the organization as “highly structured.” The operation was conducted from “two launch sites” located very close to the prison.

To prevent the drones’ location and the cell receiving the drugs from being detected, the flights were carried out at night and the devices were operated without lights.

In just 51 days, investigators recorded a total of 1,826 deliveries.

Searches led to the seizure of 500 grams of cannabis, €6,000 in cash, a vehicle, and a drone along with 18 batteries used to carry out the deliveries.

A union source told AFP that the situation “does not surprise us,” stressing that prison staff do not have the equipment needed to combat this form of trafficking.

The use of drones for illegal deliveries to French prisons has risen sharply.

Prison authorities told AFP in January that more than 5,000 drone flights or attempted flights to prisons were detected in France during 2025, compared with more than 800 cases recorded in 2024.

According to the authorities, the sharp increase in cases is also partly explained by the installation of drone detection systems.