Contraband Vaults Russian Border Thanks to Drone

Over the last two decades, the image of the stereotypical “Russian Mob” has been definitively ingrained in popular media and is an established Hollywood trope. However, in the real world of 2014, the role of Russian smuggler may be moving from the idealized notion of a muscle-bound, shaven-head tough to the remote-controlled, harmless-looking UAV – hardly the stuff of a Michael Bay blockbuster.

On May 14, ITAR-TASS reported that the Russian Federal Security service had captured a large, homemade drone filled with contraband cigarettes. The drone hailed from Lithuania and officials believe it belongs to an unnamed “Russian-Lithuanian criminal.” According to RT.com, the drone “rose to an altitude of up to 2,000 meters and dropped the smuggled cigarettes in a designated area.”

Described as sporting a “wing-spread of up to four meters,” the drone was equipped with GPS technology allowing the on-ground pilot to control it remotely and could carry more than 20 pounds of cargo.

RFS press officer Oleg Dzhurayev told ITAR-TASS that the agency had not ruled out the possibility that the grounded drone could have been used for other “unlawful actions in Russia’s territory.”

“It was the first time that a drone controlled by a foreign operator had been detained in the territory of the Kaliningrad region,” Dzhurayev said.

RT.com later reported that police had arrested a Lithuanian man alleged to have crossed the border into Russia to control the drone and meet a contact to help sell the 500 packs of cigarettes valued at 25,000 rubles – about $700.

Using UAVs for criminal activities is nothing new. In 2011, a remote-controlled helicopter smuggled heroin into a Russian prison. Similar incidents have occurred in Australia, Canada and Georgia. In England, thieves used drones to steal marijuana from grow houses.

Writing for Quartz.com, attorney John L. Davidson predicts that drones may soon become the default smuggling mule for Mexican cartels. “Drones will eliminate the need for face-to-face exchanges,” he said.

“Exchanges can be made smaller with less personal risk to the participants. Trust will become the currency of the trade,” Davidson added.

Given Hollywood’s penchant for incorporating new technology into crime thrillers, we can only imagine that studios are even now working on future blockbusters like Fast and the Furious 7: High Octane Drones or maybe Ocean’s 14: Drones and Dollars.