NJ military base confirms multiple contraband-smuggling drone incursions this year

A New Jersey military base said that after numerous drone incursions this year, it has established countermeasures to detect and thwart the aircraft attempting to smuggle illicit items into a federal prison within its perimeter.

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, which houses FCI Fort Dix prison, confirmed to military blog The War Zone that it’s taken the defensive measures after numerous attempts to sneak drugs and other contraband into the federal penitentiary.

The airspace above the joint base has “standing flight restrictions” in place which prohibit drones or other aircraft from operating without authorization, base spokesperson Kitsana R. Dounglomchan told the outlet.

“We take each case seriously and aggressively coordinate with local law enforcement to ensure the safety and security of our installation. The majority of the drones were intercepted or recovered,” he said.
The base is located about 18 miles south of Trenton.

The Garden State has been inundated by unexplained drone sightings over the last month, with thousands of reports received so far, according to law enforcement sources.

The Biden administration has been criticized for downplaying the mysterious sightings, with White House spokesman John Kirby only recently attempting to assuage public concerns, telling reporters Monday,

“We have not identified anything anomalous or any national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the Northeast.”