HARRISON, NJ- In what some security experts call “a potential nightmare scenario,” fifteen crop-spraying drones were stolen last month in what is being defined as a “sophisticated theft,” The High Side on Substack reports.
The theft of the drones, considered to be “high-tech crop spraying” devices, has raised fears that the theft may have been carried out by a foreign actor or radical terrorists already embedded in the U.S.
In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, some security experts feared that terrorists could use crop dusters to disperse biological or chemical weapons with the goal being inflicing mass casualties inside the homeland.
As opposed to the time shortly after 9/11, the current threat consists not of one pilot flying a small, propeller-driven crop dusting plane but sophisticated, remotely controlled aircraft, i.e. drones.
The timing of the theft is also concerning, given our current military confrontation with Iran in the Middle East.
Former FBI agent Steve Lazarus told The High Side in an email that the FBI is “freaked out for a good reason.”
“These aren’t hobby drones with cameras. They’re industrial sprayers designed to carry and disperse significant amounts of liquid quickly and with precision. A typical agricultural drone can cover a large area in minutes, following GPS-guided paths–that’s exactly what they’re built for in farming, but it also means that, in the wrong hands, the’re a ready-made delivery system.”
According to The New York Post, fifteen Ceres Air C31 drones, which are similar in size to ATVs, were stolen on March 24 by a delivery driver who duped shipping and logistics company CAC International.
A phony bill of lading was presented at the pickup location for the drones, which was furthered by a fake confirmation email that CAC believed to be legitimate.
The drones can carry and spray up to 40 gallons of liquid, including fertilizers and pesticides, over a 15-acre area in only seven minutes. Logistically speaking, they could also disperse chemical or biological agents.
“This was one of the most highly sophisticated thefts [the FBI] have seen in a long time, which is the main thing that has them so spooked,” a person familiar with the case told The High Side.
“Even common chemicals, used improperly, can be a public safety danger,” said Lazarus. “Throw in the internet recipes for biological and chemical weapons that anyone with a Tor browser has access to, and this is a potential nightmare scenario.
“What makes the thefts concerning isn’t just the equipment itself; it’s how easy they are to use once someone has them,” Lazarus continued.
Each drone costs about $58,000, meaning the total value of the theft was approximately $870,000. They weigh about 500 pounds, which is far beyond what a consumer drone weighs. They are more akin to flying heavy farm machinery, The Post reported.
The Pentagon has been aware of the potential threat from weaponized drones for years, with an Army manual on drone warfare from 2020 warning that a “[chemical or biological warfare] delivery platform is a definite possibility, especially for developing nations.”
“Such [agricultural] drones are readily available and could be used as a delivery system for chemical or biological attacks,” the Army report read.
The Post reached out to the FBI, which refused to comment on any investigation. The Harrison Police Department, Ceres, and CAC International didn’t return requests for comment.
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