It seems that being a drug smuggler is much easier nowadays, especially thanks to modern technologies. There are a growing number of cases in the US where drones are used to smuggle drugs. It is not just large drones, small drones are also used for smuggling, which can get the load over the border wall. Last October, a border patrol caught a DJI Mini 2 smuggling meth that weighed more than the drone itself.
The load of drugs weighed more than the drone itself
This information comes from the recently released search warrant from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He tries to use the caught drone to track the pilot. On October 7, a drone was spotted crossing a 25-foot-high fence. An agent from the border patrol watched the drone land. The agent managed to grab the drone before the driver in the gray Mercedes could pick it up.
There were 259 grams of methamphetamine in the package, which weighs more than the drone alone. The drone weighs only 249 grams. At short distances, the drone can lift twice as much as it weighs. According to the agent, smuggling using drones is very common:
“In this area, it is common for human / narcotics smuggling organizations to use drones to fly over the boundary fence and assist and / or facilitate their criminal operations in the United States.”
There are many cases of drone smuggling
There are many reports from recent years when a drone has been caught smuggling drugs. One case is the use of a DJI Mini drone, which was seized last year in Costa Mesa, California. The detained man was placed in an Orange County prison from an attempted smuggling attempt.
On Tuesday, our Custody Intelligence Unit (CIU) arrested a man suspected of using a drone in an attempt to smuggle drugs into the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange. Read our full statement below👇 pic.twitter.com/WKg2QJasni
— OC Sheriff, CA (@OCSheriff) September 16, 2021
As drones become cheaper and more affordable, they are likely to be used more and more for drug smuggling. For smugglers, using a drone is less risky because the pilot has enough time to escape the scene if the smuggling fails. Drones are used for smuggling around the world. Last year, we published a story about a drone that could carry a load weighing 150 kilograms.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/3/22916246/dji-mini-2-drone-smuggle-meth-us-mexico-border-wall
