Two More Defendants Plead Guilty to Roles in Scheme to Transport Contraband into FCI McDowell with Drone

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Today, Hector Luis Gomez DeJesus, 32, of Sanford, North Carolina, and Raymond Luis Saez Aviles, 37, of Poinciana, Florida, each pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the introduction of contraband into a federal prison.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 9, 2024, correctional officers at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) McDowell detected a drone flying over the prison facility. The flight path of the drone took it from the fence securing the prison facility to a cell in one of the housing units. Officers searched the cell and found a broken exterior window, numerous cell phones, tobacco, and marijuana within the cell.

Officers traced the flight path back to the drone’s launch site, where they found and apprehended DeJesus, Aviles, and co-defendant Gamalier Rivera. Officers seized the drone, the drone’s remote controller, and contraband consistent with what was found in the cell.

DeJesus and Aviles each admitted that they and Rivera participated in the introduction of the contraband into FCI McDowell by using the drone to transport marijuana, tobacco, and cell phones into the prison facility. DeJesus and Aviles further admitted that they expected to be paid for their participation in the contraband introduction.

DeJesus and Aviles are scheduled to be sentenced on August 11, 2025, and each faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

Rivera, 33, of Poinciana, Florida, pleaded guilty on March 27, 2025, to aiding and abetting the introduction of contraband into a federal prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 7, 2025.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office.

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearings. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-127.

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