Industry drones on about smuggling

A Lithuanian home-made drone ‘detained’ in Russia’s Kaliningrad region last week had been used in an attempt to smuggle cigarettes into Russia, Oleg Dzhurayev, the press service chief of the Kaliningrad border department of the Russian Federal Security service, told ITAR-TASS on Wednesday.

The drone, which was said to have been used by a Russian-Lithuanian criminal group, reportedly had a wingspan of about four meters that allowed it to carry a load of more than 10 kg.

The radio-controlled drone included a GPS system for navigation that made it possible for the drone operator to control its flight with a 3D card.

Details of the drone’s flight were sketchy and it was not explained how the authorities became aware of its presence.

The Kaliningrad border department was said to be checking whether the drone could have been used for other nefarious purposes within Russian territory.