May, 17, 2024
By S.M. Wagenaar
Colusa County Recovery
In the ever-evolving world of illicit trade, drug traffickers have found a new weapon: drug drones.
Drug Drone. Photo by US Border Patrol
At first glance, quaddrones appear innocuous, resembling the quadcopters readily available at electronics stores like Best Buy and Walmart, often priced at just a few hundred dollars. However, the world of aerial drug smuggling has evolved, with some drug traffickers employing six- and eight-motor aircraft, akin to those used in the film industry. These advanced quaddrones can cost upwards of $5,000 and have the capacity to carry payloads of up to 35 pounds, marking a significant shift in the tactics of drug traffickers.
Quaddrones Border Challeges
The exact number of quaddrones crossing our borders each day remains unknown, and devising effective countermeasures has become a top priority.
Tim Bennett, the program manager for air domain awareness at the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate, underscores the magnitude of the problem, stating that quaddrones are "a new big problem that we are addressing. It isn't just DHS [Department of Homeland Security]. It's across all agencies in our government and all governments in the world."
California Border Patrol Is Fighting Back
In my 30 years as a customs official, the trafficking of synthetic illicit drugs like fentanyl is one of the toughest, most daunting challenges I have ever seen,” said California Border Patrol (CBP) Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner Troy Miller.
“We have the right capabilities from interdiction to intelligence capabilities. We're in the right places at our land borders and between the ports in international airports, in both the passenger and air cargo environments and at our maritime borders, too. And we know what works. Intelligence-driven operations, partnerships, and technology. CBP is well positioned to lead the federal government's efforts in this fight.”
“We have a multi-layered strategy for tackling the fentanyl and synthetic opioid issue,” said Joe Draganac, director of CBP’s Fentanyl Campaign Directorate established under CBP’s new Strategy to Combat Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Drugs.
The Dawn of a New Era
Smuggling through the use of aircraft has a long history, dating back to the invention of flight. However, the landscape of aerial drug smuggling saw a seismic shift in 2013 with the introduction of affordable, easy-to-fly quaddrones. Initially, these devices were dismissed by authorities due to their limited payload capacity. However, drug traffickers quickly adapted, customizing quaddrones for the clandestine transport of narcotics.
“CBP has become hyper focused on countering fentanyl,” says Robert Renner, a chief watch commander at CBP’s National Targeting Center.
He pointed to operations such as Blue Lotus, a multiagency effort led by CBP that featured targeted inspections at border crossings in California and Arizona, leveraging advanced analytics, intelligence capabilities, and coordination with federal, state, tribal and local partners.
That operation – along with Border Patrol’s complementary operation, Four Horsemen, that worked between ports of entry and at checkpoints near the border – yielded more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl, in addition to another 10,000 pounds of other narcotics, such as cocaine and methamphetamine.
As law enforcement agencies find new innovative ways to reduce this burgeoning threat, the world of quaddrones remains a complex and rapidly evolving arena, presenting an ongoing challenge in the fight against drug trafficking.
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Sources:
Border Report
EnKanter.com
Smithsonian
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