Drug Dealers Take to the Skies to With Drones
With all the good things that can come from the use of drones, there is always someone out there who will use them for bad intentions too. Recent reports from Colombia explain how drug barons are now employing the use of drones to deliver their goods and do their dirty work for them.
With all the good things that can come from the use of drones, there is always someone out there who will use them for bad intentions too. Recent reports from Colombia explain how drug barons are now employing the use of drones to deliver their goods and do their dirty work for them.
Columbia is a country that has always been in abundance of illegal drugs. The warm, dry climate makes it the perfect place to harvest, produce, and traffic many illegal drugs to all over the world. It is the world’s largest producer of cocaine and regularly ships drugs off to Panama and beyond using unmanned aerial vehicles. Earlier this month, authorities in Columbia confiscated one of these drones, and they uncovered 130 kilos (286 pounds) of cocaine buried near Bahia Solano, Columbia. General Jose Acevedo said, “The drone was used to carry cocaine to Panama, it had the capacity to transport 10 kilograms (22 pounds) per journey, and it traveled a 100 kilometer (62 miles) distance. The drugs have been linked to a criminal group called Clan del Golfo (Gulf Clan) which is thought to consist of around 1,200 to 5,000 gang members who are involved in drug trafficking as their primary function.
Other drones have been caught being used to smuggle drugs, too. In January 2015 a drone crashed on the US-Mexico border and had over six pounds of crystal meth onboard. Drugs have been a huge problem in Columbia and will more than likely continue to be the case. But, with the introduction of drones to commit the crimes, they can also be used to help fight them. Military and police personnel in Brazil have already begun to use drones to monitor drug trafficking and has proved to be very useful. Hopefully soon this can be employed in Columbia to help calm its drug trafficking problems too.
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Helena Marsh
Helena Marsh is the Editor-in-Chief at TrendinTech, where she leads editorial strategy and oversees coverage across artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and enterprise technology. With more than a decade in technology journalism on both sides of the Atlantic, she previously served as a senior editor at Wired UK and covered the technology sector for The Guardian, following the rise of the big platforms, the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the regulatory push from Brussels and Washington. Helena holds an MA in Journalism from City, University of London and is a regular speaker at Web Summit in Lisbon and CES in Las Vegas. She believes technology reporting should be rigorous and plainly written, so readers understand what actually changes for them rather than what a company's announcement promises.
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