Lawmakers seek high-tech countermeasures to curb drones smuggling cartel drugs, weapons

 

Thwarting the Mexican cartels’ fleet of drones bringing drugs and weapons over the U.S. southern border was of chief concern Tuesday to a bipartisan group of Capitol Hill lawmakers.

Republicans and Democrats sought to understand the scope of Mexican gangs’ remote-controlled armada and what technology could be used to prevent those devices from entering American territory during a House Homeland Security subcommittee hearing.

Law enforcement officials and drone technology executives testified on the vulnerability of U.S. airspace to foreign incursions, telling lawmakers that wealthy Mexican cartels have more aircraft than the Border Patrol has detection equipment.

“It is my understanding, for every drone flown by border security, the Mexican cartel is flying 17 drones,” Rep. Dale Strong, Alabama Republican, said during the hearing. “Data shows the Mexican cartel are flying drones greater than 30 miles into U.S. airspace, landing and offloading drugs on U.S. soil — fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, marijuana and the list continues.”...more