MONTEZUMA, Ga. — A south Georgia man accused of flying an unregistered drone as part of a contraband drop at Macon State Prison in Montezuma drop pleaded guilty on Thursday, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
They say that Dedrick Daesan Sirmans, 32, was found on Sept. 14, 2020, by Georgia Department of Corrections K9 handlers emerging from a wooded area around the prison at around 1:30 a.m.
When the officers asked Sirmans what he was doing, he claimed he was there to meet a woman he met on the dating app Tinder, the press release said.
However, when officers with the GDC conducted a search of the area, the U.S. Attorney's Office says authorities found two plastic bags wrapped with black duct tape.
Inside the bags, authorities found $1,000 in cash, tobacco, marijuana, three cell phones, phone chargers, rolling papers, Bluetooth devices and clothing.
They say the bag was attached by a fishing line to a black hard-shell case containing a large drone.
The drone, however, was not properly registered with the FAA, the press release said.
Investigators with the Department of Transportation discovered 25 different flight paths taken by the drone, including several over Macon State Prison. Another flight was over Patten Probation Detention Center in Lakeland.
Sirmans is from Lakeland, Georgia, only 20 miles from Augusta.
Two of the flights discovered by the DOT happened on Sept. 14, within a few hours of Sirmans being found by officers on the grounds of the prison, according to the press release.
Sirmans pleaded guilty to "one count of operating and aircraft eligible for registration knowing that the aircraft is not registered to facilitate control substance offense."
In Sirmans' car, they say officers found three pistols in the trunk, the press release said.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Sirmans faces at most five years in prison which will be followed by two years of supervised release. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000.
In the press release, U.S. Attorney Peter Leary emphasized the negative impact of contraband in prisons, and the risk it poses for people on the inside and outside of prison walls.
“Contraband in prisons is a danger to everyone inside the prison, where there is a high potential for violence and drug abuse, as well as inmates using cell phones to direct outside criminal activities,” Leary said. “As the threat of drones delivering contraband continues to grow, our office—working with law enforcement—will hold all those attempting to get prohibited items to prisoners to the fullest extent of the law.”