Former Inmate Arrested in Scheme to Use Drones to Smuggle Contraband into Fort Dix Federal Prison

On October 11, 2020, a former BOP inmate was arrested for conspiring to use drones to smuggle contraband into the BOP Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix (FCI Fort Dix) in New Jersey and for possession of narcotics with intent to distribute. On November 4, 2019, Jason Arteaga-Loayza was charged in a criminal Complaint filed in the District of New Jersey with one count of conspiracy to defraud the BOP and provide contraband to a federal inmate and one count of possession of narcotics with intent to distribute. According to the Complaint, Arteaga Loayza had been an inmate at FCI Fort Dix.  After his release, from in or about October 2018 through in or about April 2019, Arteaga-Loayza allegedly conspired with others to provide and attempt to provide prohibited objects, including tobacco and cell phone chargers, to inmates of FCI Fort Dix. Additionally, on or about June 27, 2019, Arteaga-Loayza allegedly possessed with the intent to distribute a substance containing a detectable amount of heroin and fentanyl. The investigation is being conducted by the OIG’s New Jersey Area Office, the OIG’s Cyber Investigation Office, the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, criminal investigators from the United States Attorney’s Office, and the Department of Transportation OIG.