Last Thursday, Mexican authorities in the border city of Mexicali located a new contraption that drug smugglers have resorted to using lately – a cannon that shoots packages of drugs into the U.S. Here’s the top five facts you need to know about this huge cannon and its usage in transporting marijuana across borders
1. This Improvised Cannon Was Found By Mexicali Police
Fox News reported that police from the border city of Mexicali discovered a powerful improvised cannon, which was constructed with a plastic pipe and a crude metal tank. The metal tank used air from the the engine of an old car to shoot marijuana packets over a border fence into California. Mexicali’s police chief, Marco Antonio Carrillo, stated that the cannon was found on the back of a pick-up truck that sported California license plates. This cannon was noted a the latest method utilized by Mexican drug smugglers to move their products into the U.S.
2. The Cannon Was Capable of Firing 30 Pound Packages
Mexican newspaper Milenio reported that this device is capable of transporting drug packages that weigh as much as 30 pounds. The cannon also has a firing range that measures between 1,300 and 2,000 feet.
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3. The Cannon Had Been In Operation For Months
Mexicali police chief Marco Antonio Carrillo stated that the cannon, which was confiscated last Thursday, had been been used by Mexican drug smugglers for eight months before being found.
4. U.S. and Mexican Police Also Took Down An Underground Tunnel
Hispanically Speaking News reported that U.S. and Mexican authorities also located and dismantled an underground drug smugglers tunnel last Friday. The tunnel, which was still under construction at the time, was found in the the U.S. border city of Nogales, Arizona. This tunnel is just one of the 27 passageways that have been located in the city over the past three years.
5. This Isn’t The Only Drug Cannon That’s Been Used
This newly located drug cannon isn’t the only one that has been used by drug smugglers. ABC News released a story last year that reported on border agents’ discovery of a similar cannon that sent dozens of marijuana packages over the Mexican/U.S. border into Arizona. More creative means of drug smuggling occurred in 2010 and 2011. Two drug bandits tried to launch their car over the border by using a makeshift ramp near Yuma, then a National Guard surveillance video filmed drug smugglers using a catapult to launch bales of marijuana across the border near Naco, Arizona.