Meth-laden drone crash lands near US-Mexico border as drug smugglers take to the skies

Drug traffickers are using drones to smuggle drugs, and have also tried catapulting them over the border

The drone, in a picture taken after it crashed into a car park (Tijuana Public Safety Secretariat)

A drone being used to fly methamphetamine over the border from Mexico to the US crashed this week, in what authorities say is not the first time drug traffickers have tried to use the small flying machines to smuggle drugs.

The drone crash-landed in a car park in Zona Rio, near a Mexican border port, on Tuesday. The drone might have crashed because it was overloaded, according to the LA Times.

Drones are called “blind mules” and it is not the first time they have been used to smuggle drugs, according to authorities. They have also attempted to get drugs into the US by catapulting them over the border.

The drone was said to be a Spreading Wings S900 model. Spreading Wings are sold by drone maker DJI as part of its professional range, and are advertised to be used for carrying heavy cameras for filmmakers to shoot video from.

The drones have six propellers, according to authorities. The drones sell for about £900 in the UK.