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Friday, February 19, 2021

Drone With a Kilo of Meth Crashes on Roof of Business in San Ysidro, California

 "MX" for Borderland Beat

The drone was seized on Sunday (source: @USBPChiefSDC)

Border patrol agents found a drone Sunday with a kilogram of meth taped to it on top of a business in San Ysidro, a San Diego district just north of the border with Mexico. Chief Patrol Agent Aaron M. Heitke shared photos of the drone and drugs on Twitter. He said someone called Border Patrol to report a drone crashed on the roof of a business close to the border.


“I see them all the time,” one neighbor said. “I also see people in cars that just sit there for hours, it looks strange.” Agents said using drones to smuggle drugs isn’t uncommon, but they’re seeing a slight uptick in recent months.


“They are using the cover of night mostly to smuggle illegal contraband into the U.S.,” Agent Justin Castrejon said. The illegal cargo can be cocaine, meth and other substances. Border Patrol is asking residents to report any sightings, in the sky and on their streets.

Background 

Residents say that since October, they’ve been seeing more and more drones flying over their homes in Coral Gates, a small community in San Ysidro, Calif., just north of the international border with Mexico. Its distance from the city of Tijuana can easily be covered by a drone, especially at night.


The operator of the drone could be in Mexico or could be here in the U.S.” said Castrejon. 

“What you might think is innocent activity could be drug smuggling activity: cars parked, drones flying overhead. That could very well be a drug-smuggling event happening right in your neighborhood,” Castrejon said.


“We’re up against entities that know how to leverage these type of commodities and will exploit that,” said Homeland Security Investigator Chris Davis. “It’s very important to follow up on these investigations to see what kind of evidence we can recover and use it to disrupt and dismantle organizations that are operating on the other side of the border from us.”


Davis also stressed the need for the public to get involved. “We need the public to be our eyes and ears, so it’s absolutely essential when they see something like this we want you to call,” said Davis.


The Border Patrol has set up a hotline for people to call and report any suspicious activity. It’s anonymous, and according to Castrejon, they will dispatch agents right away to investigate people’s concerns. 

Sources: Fox5San Diego (1); (2)


12 comments:

  1. Doesn’t seem like a very cost effective smuggling method, especially one kilo at a time.

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    Replies
    1. Lil side hustle probably🤷‍♂️

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    2. These are people who aren’t even tied to the cartel. The freelancers. They just pay “piso” and are free to move stuff across the border. Low liability for cartel and guaranteed money. If they get that extra cash, these freelance smugglers will then do a bit more or retire altogether. Most of the drugs are smuggled by these people, not necessarily “cartels”...

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    3. How can it not be cost effective? Cheaply produced crystal and maybe a $3000-$4000 drone, finish one run, cut it up and piece it out, you've made quite a bit of money and covered startup costs. Do ten more runs and you're free rolling.

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    4. They may have been doing it for some time making great profit and this is one they'll have to eat. No biggie.

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    5. u serious ? That 1 kilo probably pays for the drone or their using it doing multiple trips making money.. otherwise they wouldn’t even use it in the first place. These dudes using drones to transport drugs has been a thing for a few years i’m sure some of these rc drones have made their money back and more.

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  2. The border is less than a 1400 feet away from one home to another. SIDRO gateway to American.

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  3. People are willing to put half a kilo up their butts. You choose half a kilo of Mandingo or waiting for the drone..

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  4. 8:32 you get caught if they make you cough and bend and split your cheeks, better keep the drones up.

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    Replies
    1. 1:42 What! Is this russia?
      Bless the US, where a prisoner can still get 4 prison guards pregnant at the same time, guess they got probed too.

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  5. Anyone know what drone they used? Looks home made. Don’t think it’s DJI.

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  6. I noticed at Bentsen State Park using drones is prohibited.

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