A 22-year-old Reid man is alleged to have attempted to use a drone to drop contraband into the Alexander Maconochie Centre on Sunday evening.

ACT Corrections spotted the man flying a drone near the perimeter fence of the prison in Hume at about 5.10pm.

He fled northbound on foot up the nature strip adjacent to the Monaro Highway. Police arrested the man after a short chase.

They say that a search of the man’s backpack revealed a drone controller, spare drone blades, duct tape and other items.

Corrections officers located a drone (that was paired with the controller in the man’s backpack), which had returned to where the man was first noticed near the perimeter fence.

Attached to the drone was a drink container containing a smart watch and sim card, drugs and nicotine patches. A second similar container located nearby contained drugs, USB memory sticks and nicotine patches.

The man has been charged with possessing a knife without reasonable excuse, two counts of possessing a prohibited substance and two counts of taking prohibited things to a correctional facility.