Drones deliver drugs, food to French prison cells

An aerial picture taken aboard an helicopter on July 20, 2010 shows a view of the Sante prison in Paris. Drone traffic is in demand. In 2023, over a thousand overflights were recorded. Cannabis and telephones make up the bulk of orders, but kebabs, merguez sausages, ceramic knives and religious books also find their way in. — AFP

PARIS: In the dead of night a drone hovers over a prison in southern France, secretly dropping packages to inmates inside. But one parcel becomes stuck in the railing outside a cell window, and guards seize three others.

Across France, prisoners have been making orders online for drones to illegally bring them everything from drugs and phones to their favourite fast food, often just outside their window.