Autel EVO II drone used to fly drugs into Canadian prison

Two young men from Metro Vancouver are facing several charges concerning their alleged participation in using a black Autel EVO II drone to smuggle drugs into a Manitoba jail.

The RCMP in Stonewall, Manitoba, were initially alerted to the unusual behavior on July 3 when someone observed a drone hovering near the local jail, the Stony Mountain Institution.

Someone else noticed a strange car traveling along a neighboring back road. Several cops responded to the scene and discovered the claimed car less than one mile from the jail.

Black Autel EVO II drone confiscated

The RCMP performed a driving check and discovered two young males, Shahram Tokhy, 20, of Vancouver, and Jalen Falk, 22, of Burnaby, and an Autel EVO II drone inside.

At the same time, other cops reportedly were scouring the jail grounds and discovered a package containing methamphetamine and possible fentanyl.

The officers were informed by prison personnel that they had observed a drone and discovered a similar item the day before.

Plastic-wrapped drug bundles and two smaller packages arranged on a table as evidence.

The following day, a neighbor discovered another comparable parcel, which authorities concluded also contained narcotics.

Tokhy and Falk were detained and charged with narcotics trafficking, possession with intent to traffic, and possession of goods gained via criminal means.

That might have been the end, but while the two were in prison, they never returned to their Airbnb, and the owner found several additional damning items left behind.

According to Stonewall RCMP, they confiscated a weapon, huge amounts of methamphetamine, and other substances from the apartment.

Consequently, Tokhy and Falk are now facing a host of additional drug and firearm-related accusations.

In recent years, we have seen several attempts to use drones to smuggle contraband into prisons in the UK, US, and Australia.

Unlike DJI drones, unmanned aircraft from Autel Robotics do not yet have geofencing, meaning that they will take off near airports, federal facilities, and, you guessed it, prisons.