Drones smuggled drugs across Niagara River from Canada, 3 suspects arrested in New York

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A smuggling operation used drones to transport drugs across the Niagara River from Canada to upstate New York, using a newly purchased home for $630,000 along the river as a drop-off point, according to a criminal complaint unsealed this week.

One person pleaded guilty and two others face charges after an investigation that began in September 2022. U.S. Border Patrol agents tracked a drone during an overnight excursion from an upscale neighborhood on the U.S. side from the border to near an Ontario vineyard and back. .

On the trip home from Youngstown, New York, a package was hanging from the drone’s frame, according to a court filing. Law enforcement was on scene as the drone hovered in the yard before landing near the suspects.

The package contained about 6 1/2 pounds (3 kg) of the drug MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, investigators said.

A search of the home revealed the presence of numerous drones and controllers, but almost no furniture except for mattresses on the floor, the complaint states.

Drone data indicates there were five cross-border flights before the September 2022 flight. The first occurred in May 2022, a month after the house was purchased in the name of one of the suspect’s relatives , according to the file. The Niagara River is approximately 1,800 feet wide (550 meters) at Youngstown.

Two of the suspects, from New York and California, allegedly took short trips to Buffalo for the drone flights, the complaint states.

The New York City resident appeared in U.S. District Court in Buffalo on Wednesday on drug and conspiracy charges. He was released on bail.

Another suspect pleaded guilty in February.