Cannon-fired drug smuggling attempt in Arizona goes up in smoke
Drug smugglers fired 30 cans of these suckers across the border into Arizona using an air-pressure-powered cannon, US border officials said today.
Thirty cans of marijuana worth $42,500 went sailing across the border into Arizona after being fired out of a Mexican cannon, border officials said today, according to NBC News.
More from GlobalPost: Spain: cocaine-laced fake breasts lead to woman's arrest
The 85-pound delivery takes drug smuggling in the region to a whole new level. "We haven't seen this before," Reuters cited US Border Patrol spokesman Kyle Estes as saying. "We've seen catapults, but nothing like this. That's for sure."
Smugglers used an air-pressurized cannon to fire the load in a bid to circumvent heightened US monitoring, said Reuters.
But border patrol agents caught wind of the affair when they intercepted 33 marijuana-packed cans before pick-up near a border fence last week, Reuters cited Estes as saying.
Border agents described the effort as yet "another unique but unsuccessful attempt" to contravene US drug laws, said NBC.
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!