TALLAHASEE, Fla. — A 36-year-old Jacksonville man described as a career criminal will spend 81 years in prison after prosecutors said he used drones to smuggle drugs and other contraband into Florida prisons.
Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that the Office of Statewide Prosecution secured the 81-year prison sentence for Mario Crawford.
Prosecutors said Crawford orchestrated a scheme to smuggle drugs and contraband into Florida Department of Corrections facilities using drones.
The investigation began Sept. 22, 2022, when officers at Century Correctional Institute found a crashed drone with a package of contraband attached. The items included cell phones, SIM cards, charging cords, tobacco, cocaine, methamphetamines, and razor blades, according to deputies.
Investigators say they worked with the Federal Aviation Administration and traced the drone’s ownership to Crawford.
In March 2023, Crawford was arrested on charges of introduction or possession of contraband at a state facility, conspiracy to introduce or possess contraband at a state facility, trafficking in over 10 grams of cathinone, illegal use of a drone, and use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony, according to deputies.
Investigators say they later identified additional drone deliveries of similar contraband at Liberty Correctional Institute and Okaloosa Correctional Institute, and those incidents also traced back to Crawford.
On March 12, a jury found Crawford guilty on all counts.
The case was prosecuted by Chief Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Brian Fernandes and Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Guillermo Vallejo in the First Judicial Circuit of Florida in and for Escambia County.
Authorities say Crawford’s criminal history includes 49 convictions, including armed burglary, grand theft, various weapons charges, fraud, and trafficking in stolen property.
Crawford will serve his 81-year sentence in the Florida Department of Corrections.