A drone has been caught on CCTV dropping what appears to be contraband into Lithgow's prison in NSW in a first for the state.
A member of the public alerted prison staff to the drone flying near the Lithgow Correctional Centre, in the state's central-west, on Monday night.
Staff reviewed CCTV footage, which showed the drone dropping something off.
Officers searched the area on Tuesday morning but did not find anything, resulting in raids.
An inmate was allegedly seen acting suspiciously after the raids, leading to a body search.
Officers found two packages containing 403 steroid capsules hidden in the inmate's clothing.
Drones an emerging issue for prisons
Corrective Services NSW has today labelled drones an emerging issue.
The department's acting commissioner Luke Grant said staff had been on alert.
Corrections Minister David Elliott said the drones were also a threat to the safety and security of officers.
He said he would look at ways to tighten restrictions on drones and other aircraft near prisons.
The Opposition used the covert smuggling incident to highlight how easily contraband made its way into prisons.
Corrections spokesman Guy Zangari said more resources were needed to tackle the matter.
In a statement, Mr Zangari said Labor had previously raised concerns about drone flyovers.
"He [Mr Elliott] can't stop contraband from being brought in through the front gates or dropped from the sky," he said.
NSW police are investigating the incident.
