Jersey City Man Used Drones To Bring Contraband Into Prison: DOJ

JERSEY CITY, NJ — A Jersey City man admitted to helping inmates in Fort Dix prison smuggle in contraband using a drone, according to the Department of Justice.

Jason Arteaga-Loayza, aka Juice, 30, of Jersey City, is a former inmate at Fort Dix and worked with two inmates to use drones to smuggle contraband into the prison, according to the Department of Justice. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and one count of possession of heroin and fentanyl with the intent to distribute. Arteaga-Loayza was on supervised release at the time and also pleaded guilty to violating the terms of his supervised release.

Three other men, Adrian Goolcharran, Nicolo Denichilo and Johansel Moronta were charged in the incident as well.

From June 2017 to September 2018, several packages of contraband were dropped by drones into Fort Dix prison, according to the DOJ. The packages that Arteaga-Loayza smuggled in included cell phones, cell phone accessories, tobacco, weight loss supplements, eyeglasses, and various other items. The contraband was sold to other inmates and the three would split the profits, according to the DOJ. Arteaga-Loayza also collected contraband for upcoming drone drops and stored it at his home in Jersey City.

Arteaga-Loayza faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and maximum fine of $250,000 for the conspiracy count, and 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine for the narcotics count. Arteaga-Loayza also faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison for violating the terms of his supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 9.