DJI Phantom drone with kilo of meth crashes on roof near Mexico border

Last Sunday border patrol agents found a DJI Phantom drone with a kilo of meth taped to the top of the aircraft on the roof of a business in San Ysidro, a district of San Diego north of the border with Mexico.

DJI Phantom drone with kilo of meth crashes on roof near border with Mexico

Last Sunday, an unidentified person had called border patrol to report that a drone had crashed on the roof of a business close to the border with Mexico, reported KSWB.

Photos of the DJI Phantom drone with drugs taped to the top of the device were shared on Twitter by Chief Patrol Agent Aaron M Heitke.

Border patrol agents who are investigating the drone crash said that the aircraft had 1 kilo of meth taped to the top.

A resident of San Ysidro said: “I see them all the time. I also see people in cars that just sit there for hours, it looks strange.”

While it isn’t new to use drones to smuggle drugs across the border, agents do report seeing an uptick in recent months.

“They are using the cover of [the] night mostly to smuggle illegal Contraband into the U.S.,” Agent Justin Castrejon said.

Border patrol agents are asking people to report any suspicious sightings.

Sunday morning, #BorderPatrol agents were alerted to the presence of a crashed drone on the roof of a local business along the border in San Ysidro. The drone had 1 kilo of meth taped to it. Agents are investigating the incident. pic.twitter.com/7GJ3f8PdnK

— Chief Patrol Agent Aaron M. Heitke (@USBPChiefSDC) February 16, 2021

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Haye Kesteloo

Haye Kesteloo is a leading drone industry expert and Editor in Chief of DroneXL.co and EVXL.co, where he covers drone technology, industry developments, and electric mobility trends. With over nine years of specialized coverage in unmanned aerial systems, his insights have been featured in The New York Times, The Financial Times, and cited by The Brookings Institute, Foreign Policy, Politico and others.

Before founding DroneXL.co, Kesteloo built his expertise at DroneDJ. He currently co-hosts the PiXL Drone Show on YouTube and podcast platforms, sharing industry insights with a global audience. His reporting has influenced policy discussions and been referenced in federal documents, establishing him as an authoritative voice in drone technology and regulation. He can be reached at haye @ dronexl.co or @hayekesteloo.