Charleston, WV (WOAY) – Two additional defendants enter guilty pleas for attempting to smuggle contraband into a McDowell County, WV federal facility using a drone.
According to a media release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, 32-year-old Hector Luis Gomez DeJesus of North Carolina, and 37-year-old Raymond Luis Saez Aviles of Florida, both pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the introduction of contraband into a federal prison.
According to court documents, on February 9, 2024, correctional officers at Federal Correctional Institution (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.
Corrections officers searched cells which revealed a broken window, cell phones, tobacco and marijuana, prompting investigators to find the drone’s launch pad where the two men, along with co-defendant Gamalier Rivera, were located with more contraband.
According to court documents, DeJesus and Aviles admitted they were expecting payment for getting the contraband inside the prison.
DeJesus and Aviles are scheduled to be sentenced on August 11, 2025. Prosecutors say each man faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release time and a $250,000 fine.
33-year-old Gamalier Rivera pleaded guilty for his participation in the scheme on March 27, 2025, and is scheduled for sentencing on July 7th.
