Two men from Colorado were taken into custody in Louisiana after authorities uncovered their plan to launch illegal substances over a federal prison fence using an air cannon.
Jose Francisco Herrera Munoz, 18, and Angel Gonzales Gutierrez, 19, were arrested near the Federal Correctional Complex in Pollock before carrying out their smuggling attempt. Law enforcement officials found them with $112,000 in tobacco and $89,500 in methamphetamine, intended for inmates inside the facility.
Illegal immigrant and friend caught trying to launch drugs into federal prison with air cannonhttps://t.co/yT2CyrL2iv
— Not the Bee (@Not_the_Bee) February 19, 2025
The device they intended to use is often seen at sports events, where it launches promotional items into the crowd. The model found in their possession had the capability to fire objects over 350 feet, making it an effective tool for clearing security barriers.
Deputies from the Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office had been monitoring the plot and acted before the suspects could fire the contraband into the prison yard. Authorities seized the air cannon and the illicit materials before placing both men under arrest.
One of them is an illegal immigrant. This is the type of criminal that Colorado Democrats give sanctuary in Colorado?#copolitics
Colorado men arrested trying to send tobacco, meth into Louisiana prison with air cannon https://t.co/tNQR8kME3X
— Mr T 2 (@GovtsTheProblem) February 21, 2025
Munoz and Gutierrez were booked into the Grant Parish Detention Center and charged with attempting to introduce contraband into a penal institution and attempting to distribute methamphetamine. Munoz is also facing additional immigration proceedings, as he is in the country illegally and has been placed under an ICE detainer.
The prison, which houses 870 inmates, has since suspended all visitations indefinitely.
