Intercepted prison drone drop includes ingredients for ‘early holiday Old Bay crab boil and steak dinner,’ officials say

Inmates at the Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, South Carolina, will have to settle for their normal cafeteria fare this week, as officials intercepted a drone drop carrying ingredients for an “early holiday Old Bay crab boil and steak dinner,” according to an X post from the state Department of Corrections.

Indeed, the illicit delivery included steak, crab legs, and even a container of Old Bay Seasoning. Also added to the package were cigarettes and two large bags of marijuana.

‘I’m guessing the inmates who were expecting this package are a bit crabby.’

Fox News reported that the contraband was captured early Sunday morning.

“Seems some folks were planning an early holiday Old Bay crab boil and steak dinner along with their marijuana and cigarettes — all dropped by a drone at Lee [Correctional Institution],” the X post said.

Officials at the maximum security prison recovered the drone along with the package, WLTX-TV reported, adding that no arrests have been made.

“As you likely know, we often see odd items included in contraband packages, but this was a bit unusual, even for us,” SCDC spokeswoman Chrysti Shain told Fox News. “I’m guessing the inmates who were expecting this package are a bit crabby.”

The cable news network added that the SCDC and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office actually have spent years combatting ongoing drone drops at the Lee Correctional Institution.

“Contraband is a real threat to prisons across the country, and we fight nightly attacks from drones dropping dangerous drugs — often fentanyl and meth — onto prison yards,” Shain added to Fox News. “We go to extraordinary lengths to combat drones.”

More from Fox News:

In 2022, an eight-month investigation at Lee Correctional led to 20 arrests and the seizure of 12 drones, as well as 100 pounds of contraband, authorities reported.

Additionally, officers discovered three abandoned drones in the woods near the prison fences.

Law enforcement reported that the drones involved have grown larger and are capable of carrying heavier loads.

“These large drones can carry heavier and heavier packages,” Lee County Sheriff Daniel Simon said in a 2022 statement, according to the cable news network. “We are working hard to stop them from getting in the wrong hands.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!