A small drone helicopter carrying six pounds of methamphetamine crashed in a supermarket parking lot in Tijuana, new evidence of a high-tech route for drug smuggling.
The drone was identified by enthusiasts online as a Spreading Wings 900, made by a Chinese company. It can fly for about 18 minutes carrying around six pounds. The craft retails for $1,400.
Tijuana police said it appeared the 3-foot diameter drone had been overloaded. It crashed Tuesday evening near the San Ysidro port of entry.
According to the U-T San Diego, Tijuana police believe the drone probably was being used to ferry drugs between neighborhoods, not across the heavily guarded portion of the border
Border authorities say drones have been used to smuggle drugs across the border since at least 2012, but the amounts carried are small.
