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Airspace & Safety

Riverside Police Department Discovers Drone Delivering Narcotics

By Betsy Lillian · December 27, 2017

Riverside Police Department Discovers Drone Delivering Narcotics
arrest

The Riverside, Calif., Police Department says it made two arrests after discovering a drone had been dropping off illegal narcotics from a residence.

Earlier this month, following information received about the operation, the agency’s narcotics unit conducted a surveillance in the Orangecrest neighborhood of Riverside when they observed a drone leave the rear yard of a residence.

The aircraft flew to a nearby parking lot and dropped a small package of narcotics, which were recovered by awaiting customers, according to a press release from the Riverside Police Department.

Then, on Dec. 21, after receiving a search warrant for the residence, the agency found numerous used and uncapped hypodermic syringes scattered throughout a bedroom, along with unpackaged powders believed to contain fentanyl. Detectives also located methamphetamine and suspected LSD laced candies, as well as the drone used for the delivery of the substances.

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