A new law that permits Arizona law enforcement officers to shoot down drug-carrying drones along the U.S.-Mexico border has been enacted, following its passage with strong bipartisan backing in the state legislature.
Enacted on April 18, HB 2733 authorizes officers to engage drones suspected of participating in illegal activities within a 15-mile range of the state’s international border.
State Rep. David Marshall, the bill’s sponsor, stated to Fox News Digital, “Cartels are increasingly using drones to monitor the border for U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers’ locations and to transport illegal drugs from Mexico into our state.” He added that “law enforcement tools available to us will include electronic jamming devices and the use of shotguns with bird shot to take down these drones.”
Concertina wire is attached along the fence at the southern U.S. border with Mexico, in Douglas, Arizona, on April 3, 2025. (David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images)
However, the law is in direct conflict with the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulations surrounding drones. Federal law prohibits interfering with a drone while it is in the air, with violators risking criminal and civil penalties.
“Federal law generally prohibits the damage, destruction or disabling of an aircraft,” the FAA said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “In addition, anyone shooting at any aircraft – including unmanned aircraft – creates a significant safety hazard. Discharging a weapon at an unmanned aircraft could cause damage to persons or property on the ground or could cause the aircraft to collide with other objects in the air.”
CBP did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
“It goes without saying that these cartel actions directly threaten the livelihood of Arizonans,” Marshall said. “In 2024 alone, Arizona saw 1,479 opioid-related overdose deaths. That is 1,479 lives taken too soon and countless families changed forever because of these deadly drugs. But when we give law enforcement the tools they need, like House Bill 2733, they are able to capture these drugs before they cause irreparable harm to our communities.”
