Truck-mounted drug cannon seized in Mexicali

Police in Mexicali were given an anonymous tip Thursday night, February 21, that narcotraficantes were delivering drugs from Mexicali, the capital of Baja, to Calexico, across the border. The method used: cannon fire.

A home-made air cannon, constructed from a length of five-inch PVC pipe and an air compressor, launched packets of drugs weighing up to 2 kilos (nearly 5 lbs.) over the border. The cannon was reportedly transported to advantageous locales such as Colonia Fronteriza in Mexicali in the bed of a 1990 Dodge Ram 50 pickup with California plates. The compressor was reportedly linked to the truck’s electrical system, thereby allowing the compressor to operate.

Mexicali police made the bust around midnight, after they followed the tip leading to the outskirts of town, whereupon several people were spotted near the truck while the cannon was aimed toward the other side of the border. When the suspects saw police approaching, they ran off, abandoning the drug-launcher and the truck. No one was apprehended.

After a preliminary investigation, authorities in the United States were informed of the discovery of the launching device and the activities surrounding its seizure. It was unreported how or where the high-flying drug packets were received on the U.S. side.

Source: La Segunda