Ex-con convicted in scheme to smuggle drugs into prison via drone
A jury convicted a 25-year-old Tennessee man Friday for conspiring to smuggle—via a drone—illegal drugs, prescription drugs, pornography and tobacco into a Maryland maximum-security prison.
Thaddeus Shortz, 25, of Knoxville, was arrested in August outside the Western Correctional Institution in Maryland, where he was released in April. The authorities said they found a drone, and six packages of illicit contraband in his truck—worth about $ 35,000 in prison. An officer testified that the defendant, who faces decades in prison when sentenced later this month, admitted to using a drone to smuggle contraband into the prison about a half-dozen times before. A Maryland State police officer testified that the defendant got $ 4,000 a pop for each of his successful drops, and was “almost boastful about it.”
A 12-member jury deliberated a little more than two hours before convicting Shortz after a two-day trial. The defendant did not put on a defense.
Read 2 remaining paragraphs | Comments
STRATEGIES FOR A COMPANY’S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. IP protection is a part of your business strategy and matches your commercial goals. A simple IP strategy is to protect your product and service by getting patent, trademark and copyright certificates.
U.S. COMPANY REGISTRATION. We help our foreign clients with registering U.S. business to support moving their innovations to U.S. market. We assist in navigating the process of setting up a new business and support while it grows.