And the drug war droned on and on

El Centro residents Jonathan Elias and Bryan Valle pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday (August 11) to bringing in 28.55 pounds of heroin illegally to the United States. They used drones to bring in the contraband.

This is believed to be the first international narcotics seizure by U.S. law enforcement involving the use of drones by Mexican drug traffickers, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The heroin were smuggled by drones to an agricultural field in Calexico near the border, according to the guilty pleas. Using a drone controller, Valle picked up packages of narcotics and placed them in a bag. The two put the bag in the trunk of a car but were stopped by U.S. Border Patrol agents.