A 22-year-old Reid man has been charged following an attempt to use a drone to drop contraband into the Alexander Maconochie Centre prison yesterday evening.

ACT Policing was contacted by ACT Corrections at about 5:10pm yesterday, Sunday 28 September, after a man was spotted allegedly flying a drone near the perimeter fence of the prison in Hume.

Corrections officers followed the man who fled northbound on foot up the nature strip adjacent to the Monaro Highway. Police arrested the man after a short foot pursuit.

A subsequent search of the man’s backpack located a drone controller, spare drone blades, duct tape and other items.

Corrections officers located a drone (that was paired with the controller located in the man’s backpack) that had returned to where the man was first noticed near the perimeter fence.

Attached to the drone was a drink container that contained a smart watch and sim card, drugs and nicotine patches. A second similar container located nearby contained drugs, USB memory sticks, and nicotine patches.

The man was subsequently charged with possessing a knife without reasonable excuse, two counts of possess a prohibited substance and two counts of take prohibited thing to correctional facility. He is expected to appear in the ACT Magistrates Court today, Monday 29 September.

Anyone who has dash-cam footage from the Monaro Highway near the prison between 4:45pm and 5:30pm yesterday (Sunday) is urged to contact Crime Stoppers via crimestoppers.com.au