Criminal suppliers appear to be turning to tech in a bid to get contraband into prisons.

A drone was found crashed outside a South Carolina prison in the US. Officials said it was carrying marijuana, mobiles phones and tobacco. Perhaps all that weight led to the crash near the 12-foot prison fence.

One person has already been arrested in connection with the incident and has been charged with attempting to smuggle contraband into a prison and possession of "roofies" drugs. A second suspect, caught in surveillance photos, is being hunted by police.

While this is a pretty high tech way to smuggle contraband into prisons it's not a first. In November four people were arrested trying to smuggle tobacco into a Georgia prison using a remote control helicopter with a pair of binoculars to guide it from afar. Not far enough, clearly.

Drones are steadily become more affordable and their ability to carry weight is going to only further encourage their use. Amazon is currently looking into using drones to make its deliveries. Police are also using drones for surveillance while the military use them for reconnaissance.

Perhaps prison gun tower guards will have to start looking for more targets than just escaping prisoners soon.

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