Federal authorities have recovered capable of dispersing liquid chemicals, but a former Department of Homeland Security official warns the biggest question remains unanswered: were they stolen for a “quick buck,” or to “facilitate action against the homeland?”
Fifteen Ceres Air C31 industrial spray drones were stolen from CAC International, a logistics and shipping company in Harrison, New Jersey, on March 24, according to The High Side Substack. The drones were recovered over a month later on April 27 in Dover, New Jersey.
In an earlier statement to Fox News, the New Jersey said that the drones were recovered at Prudent Corporation, a trucking company that has a warehouse at the location.
“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 Investigations and Customs and Border [Protection] are assisting with. No additional information is available,” the New Jersey State Police wrote.
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Despite the drones being recovered, Vincent Martinez, former DHS tactical terrorism response team member and director of service enhancement at ZeroEyes, told Fox News Digital that he “cannot underscore the risk that this poses.”
While Martinez said it’s good the drones were recovered, he warned the biggest questions remain unanswered.
“Where were these intended to land? Who is the ultimate end user? Were they meant simply as a quick buck â or to facilitate action against the homeland?” he said.
In the wrong hands, Martinez warned, the drones could “absolutely” pose a “substantial threat,” particularly if loaded with a chemical agent and deployed over a populated area, which he believes is the primary concern.
“Because of its design and nature, that is the absolute primary concern in and of itself. Who’s actually , where they’re going to, who’s funding and financing these? It’s a litany of different phases of escalation that we have to actually look at when we’re conducting the investigation,” Martinez said.
He said it’s “not difficult” for an adversary to with the proper training and knowledge.
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“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to go into the root menu of a lot of these hardware systems. What it does take is a lot of open source knowledge and an acumen to be technically savvy and technically sound. You can break into almost any drone platform. And there are a lot of that prevent that. But I would argue that using these against an adversary or against a homeland, let’s just say, it’s not difficult. You just have to know how to research how to do it,” Martinez said.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Ceres Air said “at no point was there a risk of unauthorized use.”
“Ceres systems are built with multiple layers of control, including secure activation protocols, remote lock capability, and separated battery logistics. Without proper authorization, these units cannot be operated,” the company said.Â
“This situation highlights a broader reality in the drone industry. When systems are built and supported domestically, there is accountability. Our equipment is fully traceable through serial tracking and coordinated support networks, a
