BRUNSWICK COUNTY, Va. — Deputies recovered a package filled with marijuana, tobacco and other items bound for a privately operated Virginia prison on Monday after a drone dropped it off outside of a nearby school instead, according to authorities.

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Officials with the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation after getting a call around 8:30 a.m. from an employee at Brunswick Academy. The employee reported that a suspicious package had been found on school grounds.

A witness told deputies they saw a drone land in the area around 5:40 a.m., after which a small, dark-colored sedan pulled into the school’s parking lot. The witness said someone in the car grabbed the drone before driving away.

Inside, deputies found several pounds of marijuana and tobacco, three cellphones and a USB converter, officials said.

“Based on our investigation, it is obviously apparent that the package was intended to be dropped at the adjacent property of the Lawrenceville Correctional Center, which is operated by a private company named The GEO Group,” Sheriff B.K. Roberts said Tuesday in a statement. “We have had numerous calls for service at the prison this year to include other drone sightings alleging the same criminal activity.”

Additional details about who might have sent the package and who it was meant for were not immediately available. Deputies are investigating in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Corrections Drug Task Force.

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