Police Seize Weed Catapult
Criminals are always looking for new ways to break the law, and smugglers are always looking for new ways to traffic drugs without alerting the police. Lately, they have been turning to history for inspiration, recycling methods that have been used in the past. First it was using carrier pigeons to smuggle drugs into prisons, and now it’s using mobile catapults (actually trebuchets, but who’s keeping score) to launch drug shipments across borders.
National Guard troops were first alerted to the scheme when a remote video surveillance system at the Mexican border showed several people setting up a catapult and launching packages over the International Border fence last Friday evening. The troops then contacted Mexican authorities who went in to investigate the situation and found a 9-foot-tall catapult on a flatbed that was towed by an SUV.
It was also discovered that the catapult was capable of launching 4.4 pounds of marijuana at a time, and that there were 35 pounds left when the police arrived. The drug smugglers, however, must have gotten a tip or saw that police were coming, because they all fled the area before officers arrived.
To see the catapult in action, click here.
(Story and image via CBS News)
