French police have arrested five people during an operation to dismantle a drone drug trafficking network at Villefranche-sur-Saone prison, authorities announced in a press release. Three of the suspects were caught in the act.
Investigators counted 1,826 deliveries over a 51-day period at the facility in central-eastern France. Police said the highly structured organization operated from two takeoff zones located very close to the prison.
During searches, officers seized 500 grams of cannabis, 6,000 euros in cash, a vehicle, and a drone equipped with 18 batteries that was used for the delivery runs.
Suspect Trials and Prison Drone Statistics
Among those arrested, one minor will be tried in September and was placed in a closed educational center pending trial. Four adults face trial in October, with three currently held in pre-trial detention.
Prison authorities reported in January to Agence France-Presse that France recorded more than 5,000 drone flights or flight attempts at prisons in 2025, compared to more than 800 in 2024. Authorities noted that the large increase was also linked to the deployment of drone detectors.
Prison Union Warnings and Previous Convictions
A union source told AFP that prison staff were not surprised by the arrests, stating that officers lack the necessary means to combat this form of trafficking. The source explained that deliveries take place at night using unlit drones, meaning guards can hear the aircraft but cannot determine its location or which cell is receiving the package. The source added that officers remain deeply concerned that drones could eventually be used to deliver weapons.
In a separate case reported in January by the Athens News Agency, a 26-year-old former inmate was sentenced to six years in prison for operating a sophisticated drone delivery network to inmates in northern France. That organization collected package orders through the Snapchat social media platform and generated profits exceeding two million euros.
