Texas Women Arrested After Using Drone Disguised as Crow to Smuggle Drugs and Phones Into Federal Prison

An unusual smuggling case has surfaced in Louisiana, where two women have been arrested for allegedly flying drones disguised as crows into a prison. Texas natives Melanie Jean Worthington, 38, and Kassy Marie Cole, 41, have been accused of sending phones, tobacco, and drugs, including methamphetamine, into the Grant Parish Detention Center.

The Grant Parish Sheriff's Office (GPSO) has shared an image of the decoy crow, showing a plastic toy covered with black tape and fitted with eyes and a black beak. The dummy bird was connected to a drone, and a white bag was pasted on its back.

According to GPSO, Worthington and Cole have confessed to the crime and revealed that they were paid $40,000 for smuggling contraband and dropping it on the prison floor. It remains unclear how many times the pair made the deliveries.

Worthington, who hails from Joshua, Texas, is facing charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, taking contraband into a penal institution, and possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute.

Cole, who belongs to Hurst, Texas, is accused of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of synthetic marijuana with the intent to distribute, and taking contraband into a penal institution. She also has an outstanding warrant.

The Grant Parish Detention Center has made headlines several times in the past due to multiple smuggling attempts. In February 2025, two Colorado men were detained outside the facility while trying to deliver tobacco and methamphetamine to inmates.

18-year-old Jose Francisco Herrera Munox and 19-year-old Angel Gonzales Gutierrez were allegedly planning to use a compressed air cannon to propel contraband into the jail. But authorities apprehended them before they could execute the plan. Officials found $112,000 worth of tobacco and $90,000 worth of meth at the scene.

Earlier in September 2023, a Texas woman was pulled over at a traffic stop, and contraband worth more than $1.2 million was seized. More recently, in February 2026, 23-year-old John Mitchell was arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle 12 gallons of vodka into the facility.

Gloria Harmon, 36, was also arrested in February 2026 for an alleged attempt to transport psilocybin mushrooms and marijuana into the prison. The street value of the mushrooms was estimated at $2,300, and the marijuana was valued at about $10,000.

Harmon was charged with possession of psilocybin mushrooms with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and taking contraband into a penal institution.

At the time, GPSO’s official Facebook page posted, “The Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested a Missouri woman for smuggling $2,300 worth of Psilocybin mushrooms and nearly $10,000 worth of marijuana, into the Federal Prison.”

Amid a rising number of smuggling attempts, Worthington and Cole have become the ninth and tenth individuals arrested this year for trying to send contraband into the Grant Parish jail.