Drug Cartels Now Using UAVs • Hacker News Board

Re: Drug Cartels Now Using UAVs

#61

Post by silvestrov » Wed, Aug 22, 2012, 8:19 PM UTC

K2h wrote: post #53

ChuckMcM wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I caught that as well. Still costs less to put a sacrificial mule in the driver seat than to automate them. A long time ago when Georgia Tech was flying GPS guided helicopters in the UAV contests I wondered just how much it would cost to build a drug mule like that. Should be pretty trivial, drop via GPS and you don't need human pilots. Of course if you get spotted a human can abort back over the border but a robot w…

so plan on the UAV getting tracked, and drop multiple payloads along the route - expect some to get taken, but it requires DEA to follow the entire path instead of looking for the point in the path where the UAV turns around to go home. actually, that is way to complicated. drug runners come up with some really simple solutions to problems, that to more educated people seem stupid, but is a perfect example of a MVP.

A step further: you send 10 planes, only a single plane is loaded with drugs, the 9 other with stones. Now DEA has to track 10 planes doing multiple drops.

Re: Drug Cartels Now Using UAVs

#62

Post by silvestrov » Wed, Aug 22, 2012, 8:22 PM UTC

vijayr wrote: post #56

It is amazing that the porn industry (for tech stuff) and drug cartels continuously push the boundaries - many times more than the "normal" businesses out there.

They even have a mobile phone network:

http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2011/12/mexican-army-shuts-down-zet...

Re: Drug Cartels Now Using UAVs

#63

Post by JasonFruit » Fri, Aug 24, 2012, 5:09 AM UTC

clueless123 wrote: post #49

JasonFruit wrote: post #12

In my understanding, the load-carrying capability of most ultralights is minimal. They give figures based on 250 pounds of drugs, but in some models of ultralight, I would have weigh under 190 pounds just to get airborne with a full tank of gas. I'm not able to find how many of those 223 "ultralight incursions" were actually carrying drugs, either. I question the reality of this problem.

There are may ultralights ranked for two 190 lb passengers.. using exact fuel a light pilot and overloading a bit would do the trick.

Assuming you mean many, you are wrong: there are no ultralights rated for passengers. See 103.1(a) in FAR Part 103: http://www.ultralighthomepage.com/FAR.part103.html

Re: Drug Cartels Now Using UAVs

#64

Post by alttab » Mon, Aug 27, 2012, 12:43 PM UTC

rprospero wrote: post #60

alttab wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Better that then sending non-violent criminals into for-profit prison systems, destroying lives of the families impacted, and generally making the wrong people rich(er) for the wrong reasons. Hemp is illegal in America for christ sake. Not because "its related to weed" either. Its because we can make anything out of hemp and that doesn't generate profit. How anything naturally made by earth (weed, hemp, opium) can be…

In many states, the possession of venomous snakes is illegal. Same goes for poison dart frogs.

I think the nuance is that opium and weed in small amounts won't kill you (and there is evidence to suggest that weed can't kill you at all, ever. I'm not entirely sure though).

Poision dart frogs on the other hand, you don't really get a "second try". Didn't realize they were illegal but I suppose it makes sense. Its poison after all.