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Story summary
- Drone incidents over U.S. prisons surged to 479 in 2024, up from 23 in 2018.
- Joel Anderson, director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections, led drone-detection systems addressing 262 incursions in 2022.
- Anderson noted that illegal cell phones enable inmates to coordinate these operations.
- Smugglers, often former inmates, use drones to deliver contraband, including fentanyl.
- The Federal Aviation Administration restricts states from disabling drones.
