It was bound to happen: Drug cartels are beginning to use new and advanced technology to their advantage.
In the past, cartels used manned vehicles such as cars, trucks, boats, and airplanes to get their drugs past the authorities and across borders. The U.S. and Mexican Governments have done their best to curtail smuggling via these means, and have made some strides in their ability to detect and apprehend the vehicles that are smuggling illegal or controlled substances.
But a recent discovery in a shopping mall parking lot in the Mexican-American border town of Tijuana, shows that cartels have started to use a new technology to smuggle drugs: drones.
On Tuesday evening in Tijuana, a drone was found crash-landed in a parking lot.
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The drone was investigated, and it was discovered that it was carrying over six pounds of the highly addictive stimulant, methamphetamine.
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Authorities believe that the weight of the meth on the drone was too much for it to carry, causing it to crash before reaching its final destination.
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No one knows exactly where the drone was going, but it’s almost besides the point. The fact that drones are now being used for drug smuggling means authorities will need to implement a whole new level of defense.
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While this might seem like news, according to authorities, cartels have been using drones to smuggle illegal substances across borders since 2012. If they continue to grow in popularity and sophistication, they will become more of a problem.
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(via Mashable)
This is a real problem, and one that both Mexican and United States agencies will have to find new ways to handle and prevent. It’s yet another example of a new technology being abused and used for nefarious purposes.
