Drone sightings at the U.S.-Mexican border are on track to double during fiscal year 2018 over the previous year. Only 1 of the 36 sightings from this year has resulted in a drone seizure, and the one seizure was attributed to counter-surveillance operations by narcotics smugglers. The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has increased its interest and technology investments in anti-drone measures, as the small and light construction of the aircraft make them difficult to detect. While there have been some successes and seizures of load-bearing drones carrying narcotics themselves, U.S. officials are uncertain regarding the extent to which smugglers have been deploying them across the border successfully. In the race for technological superiority, one drone expert sees the advantage on the side of the U.S., arguing that “this isn’t a tool that will work for criminals or terrorists for very long…the government is ramping up efforts and investments in anti-drone technology quickly, and they’re closing the gaps in regulation that may tie their hands in dealing with rogue drones.”
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