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Authorities have successfully retrieved 15 industrial drones, designed for dispersing substantial volumes of liquid chemicals, after they were reportedly stolen from a New Jersey firm, as per official reports.
These drones, identified as Ceres Air C31 models, were taken from CAC International, a logistics and shipping business based in Harrison, New Jersey, on March 24. The High Side, a Substack publication, highlighted the potential risk of this theft, with an expert describing it as a potential “nightmare scenario.”
On April 27, agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) managed to recover the missing drones.
HSI Newark announced on Wednesday that the drones were located in Dover, New Jersey, more than a month following their disappearance.
In an earlier statement to Fox News, the New Jersey State Police revealed that the drones were found at Prudent Corporation, a trucking company with a warehouse at the site.
“On April 27th, the New Jersey State Police Cargo Theft Unit recovered 15 stolen agricultural drones and spray systems. These drones are labeled as agricultural drones due to their specified function as registered crop dusters. The theft occurred on March 24th at CAC International, a logistics and shipping company located in Harrison, NJ. The drones were recovered at Prudent Corporation located in Dover, NJ. This is an active, ongoing investigation that Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Patrol are assisting with. No additional information is available,” the New Jersey State Police wrote.
Former FBI agent Steve Lazarus said the drones could be a danger to the public.
“Even common chemicals, used improperly, can be a public safety danger. Throw in the Internet recipes for biological and chemical weapons that anyone with a Tor browser has access to, and this is a potential nightmare scenario,” Lazarus said in an interview with The High Side.
“These aren’t hobby drones with cameras. They’re industrial sprayers designed to carry and disperse significant amounts of liquid quickly and with precision.”
This is a developing story.