A festive drone delivery of steak, cannabis, and crab legs has been intercepted at a South Carolina prison, sparking an investigation into the luxury attempted delivery.

The illicit package, also containing cigarettes and Old Bay seasoning, was discovered by a guard in the yard of Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville.

The South Carolina Department of Corrections confirmed the incident on social media platform X, using the hashtag #ContrabandChristmas. A photograph released by authorities showed the raw steak still in its supermarket packaging, alongside crab legs, Old Bay, plastic baggies of marijuana, and several cartons of cigarettes.

The drone responsible for the drop was also seized on Sunday morning. Prison officials have launched an investigation, though no arrests have yet been made.

“I’m guessing the inmates who were expecting the package are crabby,” prisons spokeswoman Chrysti Shain said.

Keeping contraband out of state prisons is a constant battle. People would toss or use a catapult to get packages of cellphones, drugs or other illegal items over the perimeter fence until officials raised the fences and added netting at the top.

People trying to smuggle things behind bars moved on to drones, leaving corrections officials to constantly patrol the prison yard and just outside for the tiny aircraft trying to drop packages.

Just flying a drone near a prison in South Carolina is a misdemeanor crime that carries up to 30 days in jail. Dropping contraband into the prison is a felony that can land someone behind bars for 10 years.

Earlier this year it was reported that drones have been used to deliver a broad range of lifestyle products to UK prisons. These include weight-loss medication and hair-loss treatments.

The UK’s chief prison inspector, Charlie Taylor, said the fleets of drones now routinely surpassing security systems and represent a “new paradigm” for the prison system, not least because the fact that prisoners are able to take delivery of items in this way could pose a major security threat.

Location technologies such as What3Words have improved delivery accuracy, while the drones themselves have become increasingly advanced and capable of delivering ever-larger packages – sometimes weighing as much as 10kg.