With all of the security surrounding World Cup games, no one would be dumb enough to fly a drone around the venues, right? After all, in addition to the seizure of the drones, violations may result in civil fines of up to $75,000, criminal fines of up to $100,000, and up to a year in jail.
Actually, as it turns out, hundreds of people are just that stupid. According to the FBI, authorities have seized more than 600 drones so far for flying in the vicinity of World Cup games. SIX HUNDRED.
Did they really think they wouldn’t get caught? The FBI has publicly stated that it would use “advanced, specialized drone mitigation teams and technology to monitor, track, and intercept unauthorized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) near major restricted-airspace events.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) enforces drone restrictions for three hours before and after a scheduled World Cup game. Apparently, the fact that authorities had already seized over 300 drones by June 23 wasn’t enough of a deterrent.
“Due to unprecedented law enforcement coordination, this FBI and our DHS partners have seized over 600 drones from restricted airspace across all 11 U.S. host cities since the start of the FIFA World Cup tournament,” the FBI wrote on X.
The staggering number of drones seized in each U.S. host city during the World Cup
KSHB News reports that authorities have seized a total of 48 drones in Los Angeles, 32 in Kansas City, 98 in Miami, 29 in Seattle, 63 in Dallas, 77 in Atlanta, 40 in New York, 33 in Houston, and nine in Newark. The authorities didn’t list the number of drones seized in Boston, San Francisco, and Philadelphia.
“As teams from around the world convene in and around Kansas City for FIFA World Cup matches, the United States Government will establish Temporary Flight Restrictions around the World Cup Stadiums, Fan Festivals and other events,” FBI Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Chris Ormerod warned prior to the games in June.
Not everyone was listening.