(Image Credit: IMAGN) A senator is drafting legislation to approve the use of drones by hunters to recover mortally wounded big game animals like deer in Pennsylvania.
Coalinga, California – An inmate at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga has been sentenced to five additional years in federal prison for orchestrating a smuggling operation that used drones to deliver drugs and contraband behind bars, federal prosecutors announced this week.
Michael Ray Acosta, 48, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and marijuana within the prison system. From May to August 2021, Acosta, already incarcerated at the time, used a contraband cellphone to coordinate a series of drone drops with four co-conspirators operating on the outside. The group delivered a variety of illicit goods, including hard drugs, cellphones, accessories, and other contraband into the prison grounds.
Federal investigators say Acosta played a central role in the scheme, directing drone flights and managing the logistics of recovery and internal distribution. According to court documents, drones flew over the facility and dropped packages in prearranged locations, where inmates, working in coordination with Acosta, would retrieve and disseminate them throughout the incarcerated population.
The case, dubbed “Operation Night Drop,” was the result of a multi-agency investigation involving the FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted under the umbrella of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), which targets high-level drug trafficking and criminal networks.
Acosta is one of five individuals charged in the case. Jose Oropeza and David Ramirez Jr. are expected to appear in court on July 28, with Ramirez set to enter a guilty plea. Joshua Gonzalez and Rosendo Ramirez are scheduled for a hearing on June 11.
Drone-assisted contraband delivery has become an increasingly visible challenge for prison authorities in recent years, exploiting both technological loopholes and institutional vulnerabilities. The use of drones not only enables the introduction of narcotics, but also communication tools that can undermine prison security and facilitate ongoing criminal enterprises from within.
In announcing the sentence, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California Michele Beckwith emphasized the growing threat of drone-based smuggling to correctional institutions and public safety.
Though Acosta’s sentence extends his incarceration, officials say the broader challenge of drone intrusions remains.
