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California Man Accused of Using Drone to Deliver Fentanyl and Other Drugs
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By Associated Press
Published 9 months ago on
October 17, 2024

Lancaster man faces life sentence for allegedly using drones to distribute fentanyl, resulting in customer's death. (Shutterstock)

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LOS ANGELES — A Southern California man was arrested Wednesday after federal prosecutors say he used a drone to deliver fentanyl and other drugs to customers, including one who died of a fentanyl overdose.

Christopher Patrick Laney, 34, of Lancaster, was arrested on several charges, including distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, four counts of knowingly and willfully operating an unregistered aircraft in furtherance of a felony narcotics crime, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California said in a statement.

Drone Deliveries to Church Parking Lot

Between December 2022 and January 2023, Laney allegedly used an unregistered drone to deliver fentanyl and other narcotics from his home to a nearby church parking lot, where another person received the drugs and gave them to customers, including a woman who died of fatal overdose in January 2023, federal prosecutors said.

Video captured by the drone showed Laney used the drone at least three other times to distribute drugs, they said.

Ghost Guns Found at Suspect’s Home

A grand jury indictment also accuses Laney of having an AR-15 and two 9 mm semiautomatic pistols at his home, federal prosecutors said. The firearms, referred to as “ghost guns” by law enforcement officials, lacked serial numbers, which makes them difficult to trace.

If convicted of all charges, Laney would face 25 years to life in prison.

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