Technology
How smuggling gangs use drones to deliver drugs across the border
Drones used to be fancy gadgets for hobbyists or secret weapons for the military. But now they have a new job: delivering drugs. Yes, you heard that right.
While El Pollo Loco is using drones to bring you chicken dinners, some bad guys are using them to smuggle drugs across borders.
Drug lords, cartels and other deviant organizations have been maximizing the benefits of drones to carry out their illegal drug runs.
With many borders of hot zones being heavily watched and reinforced, drones are accomplishing what their human counterparts no longer can. Drones have essentially become the new drug mule.
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Police capture and carry drugs with a drone (BSF Punjab Frontier)
The rise of drug-carrying drones
Drug smuggling is a lucrative and risky business. Smugglers have to evade border patrols, customs agents, police officers, and rival gangs. That’s why some smugglers have turned to drones as a new way of moving drugs.
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Drones are cheap, easy to acquire, and hard to detect. They can fly over fences, walls, and checkpoints, and drop drugs at precise locations. They can also avoid human contact, reducing the chances of being caught or betrayed.
A drone carrying drugs (BSF Punjab Frontier)
Drones are being used to smuggle drugs in various regions of the world, such as:
North America: Drones sent by Mexican cartels carrying drugs such as cocaine, meth, and heroin regularly cross the U.S. border. The DEA also warned that drones could be used to deliver fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and can be lethal in small doses.
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South Asia: Recently, border officials in the Punjab region of India revealed they intercepted 107 drug-carrying drones sent by smuggling gangs over the border from Pakistan, the highest number on record. Most were carrying heroin from Pakistan to be dropped and received by collaborators in the Punjab, notorious for having India’s worst levels of opioid addiction.
Middle East: The Jordanian air force shot down a drug-laden drone carrying crystal meth coming from Syria. Drug smugglers from Syria, the world’s largest producer of the black market amphetamine pill, Captagon, often use Jordan as a transit point to the wider Gulf Arab kingdoms and the global market. Syrian smugglers have increased the use of drones to smuggle Captagon and meth due to a security clampdown at the Jordanian border, which has made trafficking by land harder.
Drugs from a drone that was shot down (Jordan Armed Forces)
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Why drones are being utilized by the drug trade
There are many reasons why drones are being utilized by drug dealers. Here are the top seven contributors:
- Cheaper
- Easy to acquire
- Dependable — No snitching to authorities by drones if they are intercepted
- Less interference from law enforcement officials than delivering on land or air (as in, by hand or foot)
- Easier than trying to get drugs past borders that are often heavily surveillance
- Great for scoping out enemies or business opportunities
- Lowers risk because drug smugglers do not have to be physically present at the drop-off
Drugs from a drone that was shot down (Jordan Armed Forces)
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How drones are being used to transport contraband into prisons
Not only are drones being utilized for transporting illegal drugs, but drones are also being used to smuggle contraband items such as cell phones into prisons, too. The number of drone-related illegal activities has skyrocketed. 75% of intercepted illegal goods to prisons in Canada were delivered by drones. In the U.K., the government began to enforce a no-fly zone around all their prisons in October 2023 due to an exponential increase in contrabands by drones.
Drone flying over field (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Law enforcement turns to drones to help stop crime
Globally, local law enforcement officials have begun to employ drones themselves. Officials in the U.K. have used heat-seeking drones to locate cannabis farms. This technology has proven to be effective in detecting illegal activities and reducing crime rates in the country.
Drone in the sky (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Legitimate businesses employ drones to deliver prescriptions
It isn’t just nefarious entities that are innovating with the use of drones. Legitimate businesses such as drugstores and pharmacies are aiming to deliver prescriptions by drone in the U.S. and possibly the U.K. It looks like El Pollo Loco was ahead of the game.
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Kurt’s key takeaways
As drones become more advanced and widespread, the challenges and opportunities of drone drug smuggling will also evolve and require constant adaptation and innovation from law enforcement. Drug smuggling is now in the air, and we need to tackle it head-on by developing effective counter-drone strategies and technologies.
How do you think governments and law enforcement agencies should respond to the growing threat of drug-carrying drones? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
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Technology
It’s the last day of Prime Day — here are over 140 great deals to choose from
We’ve arrived at the final day of Prime Day, which at this point should probably be called “Prime Week.” We’ve found discounts on all manner of gadgets, including TVs, smart home tech, chargers, headphones, and more. Some of the best deals have started selling out at some retailers, so if you’ve been craving a popular upgrade like the AirPods Max 2, time is running low.
The good news is that our team is still hard at work, and in addition to the deals that remain in stock, the retailers sometimes save up a few extras for the last day (like this Echo Spot that got a little cheaper). This roundup is our pride and joy; the culmination of over four days of deal hunting by our entire team. We’ve worked tirelessly for the last week and arrived at a list of over 120 discounted items (and growing) that we’re happy to share with you.
Of course, our Prime Day coverage spans every category The Verge staff touches, and is a great place to explore the full breadth of discounts we’re able to find on the stuff we’ve tested, regularly use, and love. We genuinely enjoy helping you save on cool tech and fun gadgets that are actually worth your hard-earned money, especially when everything is getting more expensive.
Smartwatch and wearable deals
Home theater and speaker deals
Update, June 26th: Struck some out of deals near the end of the sale.
Technology
Ohio robot cop retires after zero arrests
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Dublin, Ohio, gave a robot cop a trial run inside a public parking garage. Less than a year later, the machine was off the job and headed back to its maker.
DubBot, a Knightscope security robot used by the Dublin Police Department, was meant to help deter crime, support emergency response and give the city another way to monitor a busy public space. However, its patrols led to zero arrests, tickets or criminal cases.
Now the failed pilot raises a bigger question nationwide. Should local leaders have to prove these machines work before putting them on patrol?
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Dublin’s robot cop pilot ended after its patrols led to zero arrests, tickets or criminal cases. (Knightscope)
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Ohio robot cop ends its parking garage patrol
DubBot began patrolling the Rock Cress Parking Garage in July 2025. The robot was one of Knightscope’s K5 Autonomous Security Robots, the tall white security machines built to move through public spaces and act as an extra set of eyes.
Dublin retired DubBot on May 12 after deciding the pilot no longer fit the city’s operational needs. The robot has since gone back to Knightscope.
The city’s public safety page now says the autonomous safety robot pilot has ended. It also notes that Dublin added other security measures at the Rock Cress garage, including entrance and exit gate arms and mirrors.
What the Ohio robot cop was supposed to do
DubBot was designed to support police operations, deter crime and give people another way to reach emergency help. The robot had 360-degree video cameras, two-way emergency communication and an emergency call button that could connect people with dispatchers.
In theory, that sounds useful. A robot moving through a parking garage could make people feel watched over. It could also give police a live look at an area without assigning an officer there full time.
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But let’s be real here. A camera on wheels still has to solve a real problem. Parking garages have awkward corners, quick encounters and plenty of moments where something can happen fast. A robot moving at walking speed may create a visible presence. However, presence alone does not equal public safety results.
How much the Ohio robot cop cost
Dublin spent $128,080 in the first year of the agreement. The city expects a reimbursement from Knightscope of about $60,500, bringing the final cost down to $67,548.
The original plan was larger. Dublin had planned to pay $238,440 for two robots over two years. However, the second robot never rolled out. It was supposed to serve Riverside Crossing Park, but development needs and infrastructure limits kept it from going into service.
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That leaves one robot, one parking garage and a pilot that ended with no arrests, no criminal cases and no tickets.
The city also collected no other performance metrics because the pilot was meant to test the robot before any expansion.
That part should make taxpayers pause. When a city tests an expensive public safety tool, people deserve a clear way to judge whether it worked.
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Why cities keep testing robot cops
You can understand why local governments keep looking at these robots. Police departments are stretched. Public spaces need coverage. Parking garages, parks and transit hubs can be hard to monitor with people alone.
Security robots promise a lot. They can move around, stream video, offer a help button and act as a visible deterrent. They also give a city a technology-forward image, which can sound appealing during a public safety pitch.
The challenge comes after the rollout. When a city says a robot deters crime, officials should explain how they will measure deterrence. When the robot supports emergency response, the city should track how often people use the help button. When the robot helps investigations, officials should show whether its video helped solve cases. Without that kind of follow-up, a robot can become a pricey symbol rather than a useful safety tool.
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Other robot cop pilots have struggled too
Dublin is hardly the only city to test a Knightscope K5 and then move on. New York City tried a K5 robot in the Times Square subway station. That pilot ended after several months. Reports at the time noted that officers had to chaperone the robot and that the machine could not use stairs.
San Antonio International Airport also tested a Knightscope robot. That trial ran into technical problems, including navigation issues, camera focus problems and trouble with live video and audio feeds.
Those cases do not prove that every security robot will fail. They do show that public spaces are tough testing grounds. A robot may look impressive in a demo, then struggle when crowds, tight spaces, doors, stairs and real people get involved.
The Knightscope K5 security robot was designed to monitor public spaces and connect people with emergency dispatchers. (Knightscope)
Robot cops raise privacy questions
The other issue here is privacy. Dublin has a broader public safety technology program that includes drones, license plate readers, security cameras, body-worn cameras and facial recognition technology under a formal policy. Add a roaming robot with cameras and emergency communication, and residents may have fair questions.
What does the robot record? Who can access the footage? How long does the city keep it? Does the system use facial recognition? What happens when someone presses the emergency button? What data goes to the company?
Cities should answer those questions before a robot starts patrolling public spaces. The point isn’t to reject every new tool. The point is to make sure public safety tech comes with public accountability.
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What this means to you
If a robot starts patrolling your local garage, mall, park or transit hub, do not get distracted by the cool tech factor. The first question should be: What does it actually do when something goes wrong?
Can it connect you to a real person fast? Is someone watching the video when it matters? Can it help during an emergency, or does it mostly record what has already happened?
But let’s be real here. If your tax dollars are paying for this kind of technology, your city should explain the goal before the robot rolls out. Otherwise, people may only learn whether it worked after the money has already been spent. New technology can sound impressive. However, results still count.
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Kurt’s key takeaways
A robot cop patrolled a parking garage, led to zero arrests and then got sent back. That should make taxpayers ask some hard questions. But let’s be real here. If local leaders are paying for AI-powered public safety tools, they should explain what problem the tech solves, how success will be measured and what happens to the data it collects. Dublin deserves credit for ending the pilot when DubBot failed to deliver enough value. A robot can look like progress, but the real test is whether it makes people safer and gives taxpayers results they can actually see.
DubBot patrolled the Rock Cress Parking Garage in Dublin, Ohio, before the city ended the robot pilot program. (The City of Dublin)
Would you feel safer knowing a robot was watching your public space, or should your city have to prove the machine works before spending your tax dollars? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
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Technology
Prime Day’s final hours bring rare discounts on Philips Hue smart lights
Philips Hue products don’t often see major discounts, which makes this year’s Prime Day deals especially notable. Prices have dropped significantly across much of the company’s smart lighting lineup, with deals on everything from smart bulb starter kits and sleep lamps to smart buttons. If you’ve been thinking about investing in Philips Hue, now is one of the best opportunities we’ve seen all year to do so for less.
Update, June 26th: Updated prices and availability and added a couple of deals, including a discount for the Philips Hue Bridge.
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