Two women in Texas have been arrested after they allegedly disguised drones to look like birds and attempted to fly contraband into a federal prison located in Grant Parish.
The Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office said that Melanie Jean Worthington and Kassy Marie Cole used a drone to fly in plastic crow decoys filled with the contraband, according to a Facebook post shared by the department.
Both of the women claimed they were paid $40,000 to smuggle the items into the prison, according to police. However, it is not clear if they told authorities who paid them or why they were tasked with the job.
Officials said that the plastic crows were allegedly filled with drugs, cellphones and tobacco, according to the statement.
Worthington, 38, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and taking contraband into a penal institution.
Meanwhile, Cole, 41, was arrested for possession of synthetic marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, taking contraband into a penal institution and an outstanding warrant from a previous arrest. It is not clear what incident the outstanding warrant was from.
It is not currently clear if Worthington or Cole have entered pleas or retained legal representation following their arrests.
The Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding any updates in the case.
Believe it or not, Worthington and Cole’s recent arrests mark the ninth and 10th arrests of suspects trying to smuggle contraband into the Federal Prison in Grant Parish since the beginning of 2026, according to KALB. The last two men who tried to smuggle contraband into the prison used a cannon to shoot meth and tobacco over the prison walls.
In addition to sharing both Worthington and Cole’s mug shots, police also uploaded a photo of the fake crow via Facebook. The black crow had a beak and facial features, while it was also covered in tape.
It is not currently clear how authorities spotted the fake crows or connected Worthington and Cole to the scheme.
While reflecting on the crime, Grant Parish Sheriff Steven McCain told reporters that the crime was “pretty creative” but it “didn’t work,” according to Louisiana Radio Network.
McCain went on to state that when authorities tracked down Worthington and Cole, they were found with the plastic crows in their possession that connected them to the crime.
“It’s just amazing, the ideas they come up with. But there’s so much money involved that people are willing to continue to take the chance of not getting caught,” he said.
After the police department shared the post about the arrests, a handful of people took to the Facebook post’s comments section to weigh in on the situation. “We flying birds now? lol maybe they should try an armadillo!” one person wrote while poking fun at the scheme, and another person jokingly asked, “Is that a real bird, my only question?”
The investigation into the case remains ongoing.
