A Greene County deputy arrested two Augusta men who may have been involved in a scheme to deliver contraband to Georgia prisons.
Jakyrey Benson, 19. And Jaquise Benson, 21, was both charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute on Sept. 15.
Jaquise Benson was also cited for following too closely and driving while his license was suspended. According to reports, Deputy Leo Sierra stopped a red Dodge Challenger heading west near milepost 130 for following too closely.
When Sierra asked for the driver’s license, Jaquise Benson said he didn’t have it with him and handed the deputy a Georgia identification card.
The passenger, Jakyrey Benson, was able to provide a valid Georgia driver’s license.
Jaquise Benson was asked to exit the vehicle and told Sierra the two were traveling to Atlanta to spend time with a friend.
When asked if the vehicle contained any illegal contraband, Jaquise Benson said it did not and granted Sierra permission to search it.
According to the report, “a search of the vehicle revealed a rolled marijuana cigar located in the center console.” Hidden in the sunroof area, Sierra located a clear plastic bag containing marijuana. In the trunk, he found a DoorDash bag containing a laundry bag, which held two vacuum-sealed packages containing approximately 1.5 pounds of marijuana each.
Sierra also found other objects that were bubble-wrapped and taped, and concluded the packaging of the items was consistent with packaging methods commonly used for deliveries into state prisons.
Sierra opened the packages and discovered multiple cell phones with chargers and calling cards, one Apple Watch, and one WiFi hotspot.
Additionally, he found a digital scale, multiple lighters, approximately 39 flavored cigar wrappers, four JB Weld glue tubes with two saw blades, six gel capsules containing two denture molds, and a plastic bag containing approximately 20 grams of Oxycodone.
Both Jakyrey Benson and Jaquise Benson were placed under arrest and transported to the Greene County Jail. The vehicle was recovered from the scene by Chancey’s Towing Services. All recovered items were turned in to the Greene County Evidence Room pending further processing.
An ongoing problem for law enforcement
Four months ago, Sierra arrested an Atlanta man involved in a similar scheme, according to arrest reports.
According to the report, Sierra found a drone covered in a blanket on the back seat of his vehicle, with GPS information indicating it was bound for Hancock State Prison.
On the passenger seat, Sierra found a cellphone with GPS navigation active and showed directions toward Hancock State Prison. Hill had a total of five cell phones in his possession.
Sierra also found two duffle bags containing more than 20 vacuum- sealed bags of tobacco, eight more cellphones, multiple phone chargers and earphones, two digital scales, four metal drill tools, eight 1-oz., vacuum-sealed bags of what appeared to be marijuana, a small clear bag containing orange pills (unknown substance), multiple packages of cigarette rolling papers, and a metal coffee cup filled with an unknown green liquid.
That same day, Deputy Christian Hall stopped a Hyundai Genesis for a tag light violation on Highway 77 South near its intersection with Highway 15 South.
Hall conducted a vehicle inventory and found a DJI Inspire drone with two battery packs under a blanket in the trunk. All the lights on the drone were taped with black electrical tape, and an improvised dropping device was attached to the bottom of it.
Hall also found two packages wrapped in plastic wrap, a green leafy substance suspected to be marijuana, and a digital scale.
Hall concluded that the drone and packages were indicative of smuggling contraband into a prison.
The packages contained the following: three cell phones, three cigarette lighters, four charging blocks, five wireless headphones, three cell phone chargers, three individual packs of blueberry pancakes containing suspected marijuana, a 16-ounce bottle of Promethazine Hydrochloride oral solution, rolling papers, and a quantity of tobacco.