Turns out Amazon isn't the only one testing drones.
A drone flying from Mexico crashed just south of the U.S. border city of San Ysido, California, in a failed drug delivery this week, according to CNN.
The drone was carrying nearly 3 kilograms (6 pounds) of crystal methphetamine and was recovered by police in Tijuana, Mexico after the aircraft dropped from the sky, according to local Municipal Police.
The incident showed that smugglers are going to new lengths to get drugs over the U.S.-Mexico border and no longer just relying on using underground tunnels.
"In San Diego, the street value, at last account, for a 6-pound load would be about $48,000," DEA Special Agent Matt Barden said, according to CNN. "Once you get it across the border, that stuff's like gold."
The drone crashed Tuesday night while using a GPS system in a supermarket parking lot in Tijuana.
The silver and black Spreading Winds S900 was not able to handle the weight of the load and "crashed," police said, according to CNN. This wasn't the first attempt by drug smugglers, but the incident does amplify concerns about border security and officers.
"I would hate to belittle 6 pounds of meth," Barden said. "That's like saying 6 pounds of heroin isn't bad, but I think the big thing to look at is the fact that the cartels or drug traffickers from Mexico are using drones in their playbook. My greater fear, being an agent, is what a drone means to officer safety. That to me, personally, being a tactical officer, that's my concern."
Drug-related violence in Mexico has left nearly 70,000 dead since 2006, according to a Mexico City-based newspaper Milenio.
Sales of drones have jumped the past year or so, with Amazon selling nearly 10,000 drones a month, causing operational and safety fears in the U.S.
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
