Six Indicted in Alleged Drone Prison Smuggling Scheme

LEAVENWORTH, KS – Six individuals have been indicted in an alleged drone prison smuggling scheme by a Federal Grand Jury sitting in Kansas City, Kansas.

Dale Gaver III, 35, Dale Gaver II, 54, Joshua Hamilton, 37, and Rex Hill, 33, all of Omaha, Nebraska, are charged with conspiracy to provide and possess contraband in prison. Additionally, Melvin Edwards, 44, and Tamarae Hollman, 36, of Riverside, California, are charged with one count of conspiracy to provide and possess contraband in prison.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas says Edwards, Gaver II, Gaver III, Hamilton, Hill, and Hollman are accused of conspiring to smuggle prohibited items into Leavenworth Penitentiary between August 2020 and May 2021 by allegedly using a drone to drop contraband such as cellular phones, K2 (synthetic cannabinoid), marijuana, and tobacco into the yard.

Hill is also charged with one count of attempting to provide prison contraband. Gaver III, an inmate at Leavenworth Penitentiary during the conspiracy time frame, is also charged with one count of attempted possession of prison contraband and one count of possession of prison contraband.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.