A Jacksonville man is among 12 people charged in what federal prosecutors call the largest drone-based contraband smuggling operation ever prosecuted in the United States, according to an indictment unsealed June 24.
James Phillips, 51, of Jacksonville, is charged with one count of conspiracy to provide contraband in prison. That charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.
Prosecutors allege the operation relied on coordination between people outside prison walls and inmates on the inside — including the use of contraband cell phones to schedule drone drops so packages could be quickly retrieved…