Sydney (AFP) - Australian police on Monday said they had arrested a man after a drone allegedly carrying drugs was seen "hovering in the vicinity of a prison".

Victoria state police said the unmanned aerial vehicle, which was carrying a small quantity of drugs, was found near the Metropolitan Remand Centre in Melbourne's west on Sunday.

"A man and a woman were located in a car ... with what was believed to be a drone with four engines and a small quantity of drugs," Victoria Police said in a statement.

The 28-year-old man was charged with possessing a drug of dependence and attempting to commit an indictable offence and was bailed to appear in court later this month.

Police refused to give any details on the size of the drone, a technology already deployed by the military but increasingly used in aerial photography and law enforcement.