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Police Intercept Prison Drone Drops in Provence, Arresting Nine in Two Nights

Authorities describe near-weekly, social media–driven deliveries that they continue to disrupt.

Overview

  • At Le Pontet around 2:40 a.m. on February 27, municipal police seized a drone carrying 50 grams of cannabis and arrested three men aged 18 to 22 from Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône.
  • Officers at Le Pontet also confiscated a truck, three spare batteries and a radio remote, and some of the suspects were released as the gendarmerie’s investigation proceeds.
  • Near the Aix-Luynes prison before 3 a.m. on February 28, police detained six alleged operators and seized a drone, a remote control and parcels of prohibited goods.
  • Gendarmes report these drops occur nearly every week, with inmates placing orders via social networks for contraband such as drugs, phones, cigarettes and connected watches.
  • A separate Paris case tied to the Snapchat account “LeBonDrone 75” led to February 18 convictions, with the court imposing one-year suspended and one-year custodial sentences after an operation allegedly run from inside a cell.