Cannon-fired drug smuggling attempt in Arizona goes up in smoke

GlobalPost

Thirty cans of marijuana worth $42,500 went sailing across the border into Arizona after being fired out of a Mexican cannon, border officials said today, according to NBC News

More from GlobalPost: Spain: cocaine-laced fake breasts lead to woman's arrest

The 85-pound delivery takes drug smuggling in the region to a whole new level. "We haven't seen this before," Reuters cited US Border Patrol spokesman Kyle Estes as saying. "We've seen catapults, but nothing like this. That's for sure."

Smugglers used an air-pressurized cannon to fire the load in a bid to circumvent heightened US monitoring, said Reuters

But border patrol agents caught wind of the affair when they intercepted 33 marijuana-packed cans before pick-up near a border fence last week, Reuters cited Estes as saying. 

Border agents described the effort as yet "another unique but unsuccessful attempt" to contravene US drug laws, said NBC

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.