On April 29, 2025, Hector Luis Gomez DeJesus from Sanford, North Carolina, and Raymond Luis Saez Aviles from Poinciana, Florida, entered guilty pleas for aiding and abetting the introduction of contraband into a federal prison. The case centers around a scheme using a drone to transport unauthorized items into the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) McDowell.
Court documents detail that on February 9, 2024, correctional officers at FCI McDowell identified a drone flying above the facility. Its flight path extended from the perimeter fence to a cell in the housing unit, where subsequent searches uncovered a broken window along with contraband including cell phones, tobacco, and marijuana.
Following the clues from the drone's flight path, officers discovered the launch site and apprehended DeJesus, Aviles, and a co-defendant, Gamalier Rivera. The authorities seized the drone, its remote controller, and contraband similar to those found inside the cell.
Both DeJesus and Aviles confessed their involvement in using the drone to smuggle items into the facility, specifically marijuana, tobacco, and cell phones, acknowledging they anticipated compensation for their activities. Their sentencing is scheduled for August 11, 2025, with each potentially facing up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.
Rivera, another individual implicated in the scheme, had previously pleaded guilty on March 27, 2025, and awaits sentencing on July 7, 2025, for the same offense.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston, who praised the investigation efforts led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office. Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearings with Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons prosecuting the case.
For further details, the press release is accessible via the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia's website, and related court documents are available on PACER, referencing Case No. 1:24-cr-127.
