State officials have announced the conclusion of a comprehensive investigation called “Operation Skyhawk,” which led to the arrest of 150 individuals, including eight employees of the Georgia Department of Corrections. These arrests were made in connection with a contraband smuggling scheme, which utilized drones to smuggle cell phones, narcotics, and weapons into Georgia’s prison system. The governor’s office has detailed that the investigation revealed an intricate operation involving the use of drones to smuggle illegal items into facilities managed by the Department of Corrections.
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According to WSB-TV, during the operation, law enforcement executed search and arrest warrants at two locations in the Metro Atlanta area on Thursday, effectively dismantling a complex, interstate criminal network involving civilians, prison inmates, and correctional staff, according to a statement from the governor’s office. The operation led to the immediate termination of eight correctional officers involved. The arrests have resulted in over 1,000 charges related to the smuggling of contraband, drug trafficking, and illegal possession of firearms by convicted felons.
Additionally, those arrested could face further prosecution under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and gang-related charges, potentially marking this case as the most significant gang RICO case in the state’s history, the governor’s office noted. Governor Brian Kemp emphasized Georgia’s uncompromising stance against those endangering community safety by facilitating the illegal trade of drugs, weapons, and other contraband into and out of correctional facilities. The haul from the operation included 87 drones, 273 illicit cellphones, 22 firearms, and substantial quantities of tobacco, marijuana, methamphetamine, ecstasy, and cocaine, highlighting the scope of the smuggling operation.
“Georgia will not tolerate those who put our communities at risk by trafficking drugs, weapons, and contraband both in and out of our correctional facilities. I want to thank Commissioner Oliver, the hardworking men and women of the GDC, and all law enforcement who worked to shut these operations down and help keep both Georgians and our correctional facilities safe.”
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Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Tyrone Oliver remarked on the operation’s success as a clear message to individuals inside and outside the prison system that the state maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy towards actions compromising the security of correctional facilities and public safety. The investigation, initiated in November 2022, was a significant endeavor to intercept contraband deliveries into prisons. According to Gregg Phillips, a special agent with the Georgia Department of Corrections approximately 170 attempts at prison drops were thwarted during the investigation.
The Thursday raids notably targeted a drone repair shop in Gwinnett County, resulting in the seizure of over 50 drones and the arrest of two individuals, with WSB reporters present at the scene. Prosecutors are now collaborating with special agents from the Georgia Department of Corrections to secure RICO and gang indictments from grand juries across the state against many of the individuals arrested in this operation.
