ATLANTA — Drones powerful enough to lift a human have become a routine tool for delivering contraband in Georgia prisons.

At a hearing Monday about the budget for prisons, Tyrone Oliver, the commissioner for the state Department of Corrections, said drones have been used to drop drugs laced with fentanyl and other goods, including power saws made by the company Dremel.

"We've confiscated drones that are large enough to lift 225 pounds," he said. "We had one earlier today that can lift about 80 pounds or 90 pounds."

He said the pilots pay people who live near prisons thousands of dollars to borrow their driveways to stage the flights.

Other methods for delivering contraband were more time-honored, such as moving it with the help of prison staff or through the mail, delivering it during

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