The drone flew up to the inmate’s cell window at Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines prison on Thursday morning, delivering fried chicken, French fries, sauce and a small quantity of alcohol. The inmate reportedly had little to do beyond reaching out of the window to collect his order.

While the delivery may sound unusual, it has raised serious security concerns, particularly because of where the inmate is being held.

The prisoner is housed in a specialised unit for inmates who require particularly strict supervision. The unit can accommodate up to 90 people and holds some of Canada’s most dangerous offenders.

These prisoners cannot be housed in conventional maximum-security facilities because of the security risks they pose, making the drone delivery a worrying development for prison authorities.

Drones have increasingly become a concern for correctional facilities because they can be used to smuggle prohibited items, including mobile phones, tobacco and drugs. In this case, however, the reported cargo included fast food and alcohol.

A spokesperson for Quebec’s correctional authorities told CTV News by email that an investigation had been launched into the incident.

The spokesperson said smuggling contraband into prisons remained a major challenge, warning that attempts to bring prohibited items into correctional facilities — including through drones — posed a threat to security.

It remains unclear who arranged the delivery, what offence the inmate was serving time for or whether he has faced disciplinary action over the incident.

For now, the investigation is ongoing, as authorities work to establish how the drone managed to reach the inmate’s window at a facility designed to hold some of the country’s most high-risk prisoners.