Border agents see drones carrying drugs

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - Border agents in Arizona say that they are seeing a growing trend of drugs being flown from Mexico into the United States via drones.

The Yuma Sector Border Patrol reported on Wednesday  that the drones vary in size, but are commonly between 2 to 4 feet wide.

Drones have been observed primarily in the San Luis area.  They carry the illegal contraband into the U.S. where it is dropped and picked up by smugglers north of the border.

In November, agents recovered approximately 31 pounds of marijuana that was dropped from a drone near San Luis.  It was the first time they had observed a drug carrying drone.

Yuma Station Border Patrol Agents observed an OctoCopter style drone illegally enter the San Luis airspace from San Luis, Rio Colorado, Mexico, and jettison a bundle. Aided by night vision goggles, agents were able to follow the drone to its drop point, where three bundles of marijuana - weighing approximately 10 pounds each - were discovered along the bank of a canal.