CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Two men have pleaded guilty to their roles in a scheme to transport contraband into FCI McDowell, a federal prison in West Virginia, using a drone.
Hector Luis Gomez DeJesus, 32, of Sanford, North Carolina, and Raymond Luis Saez Aviles, 37, of Poinciana, Florida, each pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the introduction of contraband into a federal prison.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 9, 2024, correctional officers at FCI McDowell detected a drone flying over the prison facility.
The flight path of the drone took it from the fence securing the prison facility to a cell in one of the housing units. Officers searched the cell and found a broken exterior window, numerous cell phones, tobacco, and marijuana within the cell.
Officers traced the flight path back to the drone’s launch site, where they found and apprehended DeJesus, Aviles, and co-defendant Gamalier Rivera. Officers seized the drone, the drone’s remote controller, and contraband consistent with what was found in the cell.
DeJesus and Aviles each admitted that they and Rivera participated in the introduction of the contraband into FCI McDowell by using the drone to transport marijuana, tobacco, and cell phones into the prison facility. DeJesus and Aviles further admitted that they expected to be paid for their participation in the contraband introduction.
DeJesus and Aviles are scheduled to be sentenced on August 11, 2025, and each faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Rivera, 33, of Poinciana, Florida, pleaded guilty on March 27, 2025, to aiding and abetting the introduction of contraband into a federal prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 7, 2025.
Related Federal Cases
- Jose Samir Renteria-Cuero, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Florida 2023 · North Carolina
- Moises Gamboa, Aiding and Abetting the Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, West Virginia 2024 · Indiana
- David Smeltzer, Aiding and Abetting the Distribution of Heroin, West Virginia 2017 · Virginia
- Tyler Hammack, Aiding and Abetting Distribution of Cocaine Base, West Virginia 2018 · Texas
- Collice Reid, Aiding and Abetting Firearm Use in Robbery, Florida 2015 · Alabama
Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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