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Illicit drone flights surge along U.S.-Mexico border as smugglers hunt for soft spots

S.J.B.

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Illicit drone flights surge along U.S.-Mexico border as smugglers hunt for soft spots
Gina Harkins
The Washington Post
June 24th, 2018

Smugglers are using video cameras and small drones to spot vulnerabilities along the U.S.-Mexico border, and the Department of Homeland Security is struggling to stop them.

Reports of unmanned aircraft flying along the southwestern border have spiked in recent months, with more than three dozen sightings since October, when the fiscal year began. That data point is on a course to quadruple from the previous year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, where officials say they are concerned that criminal groups are using the aircraft for surveillance while seeking paths to traffic drugs and other illicit material into the United States.

"They're probably trying to get eyeballs on agents out in the field and see where soft areas are," said James Thom, acting operations director for CBP's Air and Marine Operations Center outside Los Angeles. "To date, I don't know that we've successfully been able to detect and track drone activity."

The growing use of off-the-shelf, hard-to-spot drones is a prime example of the relentless cat-and-mouse game between criminals and Border Patrol agents. Smugglers constantly seek to outsmart U.S. law enforcement. And as part of the Trump administration's pledge to crack down on the influx of drugs and people entering the country illegally, Homeland Security is scrambling to identify technology and techniques that can thwart them.

When it comes to drones though, the true number flying along the border could be much higher than what's been reported. Such aircraft present a tiny radar cross section. They also give off little to no reflection and tend to fly for short periods at very low altitudes, said Jennifer Gabris, a CBP spokeswoman.

Read the full story here.
 
This was and still is a no brainer. Drones will fly over any wall thats constructed. Guess we may need to address issues instead of constructing an exspensive and ineffective curtain.
 
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