Ford patents a new drug detection system to protect consumers from planted drugs as the auto giant responds to the growing trend of drug smugglers using innocent motorists to move their illicit goods into the U.S.
Ford recently submitted a patent for a new drug detection system.
The war on drugs has rapidly evolved over the past several decades with drug cartels in Mexico and South America resorting to more innovative methods of getting their goods into the U.S. Some of the methods used over the years included airplanes, semi-submersible boats, and even covert attempts to disguise the drugs as innocent items like food and even beautiful pieces of artwork.
However, a growing trend that more of these organizations are using is a deceptively simple one with smugglers targeting an innocent motorist’s vehicle to plant drugs in and having them unknowingly bring the payload across the border into the U.S. before it’s clandestinely retrieved after the vehicle in question successfully makes it over the border. Ford is now attempting to address the problem head-on by patenting a new detection system that has the ability to detect planted drugs on their vehicle so that motorists will not fall prey to this cunning smuggling tactic.
Ford’s new detection system promotes awareness
The system would allow motorists to know if illegal drugs have been planted on their vehicle to prevent them from being “blind mules.”
Ford’s new patent calls the system “an unknown cargo detection and evidence collection system” with the feature using a suite of sensors and cameras to monitor the vehicle in a variety of ways. They include checking the vehicle’s weight for suspicious extra pounds and using microphones to detect any suspicious activity near the vehicle. The system can even scan for suspicious GPS signals with the criminals often using GPS devices or Apple Air Tags to track the cargo so they’ll know where to go when it comes time to retrieve the illegal drugs.
The evidence collection portion of the patent comes if the system detects unusual activity with the sensors and cameras storing and collecting the data which can later be used as evidence by law enforcement if the drugs are found in the vehicle. That includes any changes in driving dynamics with the added weight of the smuggled drugs altering the driving dynamics of the vehicle which can be picked up by the system and also stored as potential evidence.
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Patent shines a light on a growing problem
It’s not known if the technology will make production but it might be useful in markets with high concentrations of drug cartel activity.
While it may seem a bit odd that Ford is focusing on creating this type of detection technology, the patent does shine a new light on the growing problem of “blind mules.” These are individuals who are caught at the border by U.S. Customs with drugs planted on their vehicles without their knowledge. This problem has caused massive legal headaches for scores of motorists and shows just how determined the drug cartels are when it comes to getting their illegal goods across the border.
It remains to be seen if this technology will eventually make its way into production or if it will exist merely as a patent like other novel technologies that the company has patented over the years. The rise of Fentanyl would also make it more challenging for the system to detect it since that drug can be packaged in smaller amounts and the thieves can hide it in more intricate ways as a result.
Yeah, that’s why it was created, to protect us from being tricked by drug traffickers.
There’s no way it would ever be used against us, for any nefarious reasons, like spying on citizens with I don’t know, differing political views, or used to help with something sleezy like entrapment.
Nope! Not Ford and not the US government!
“…evidence collection system” with the feature using a suite of sensors and cameras to monitor the vehicle in a variety of ways… …using microphones to detect any suspicious activity near the vehicle…
…The evidence collection portion of the patent comes if the system detects unusual activity with the sensors and cameras storing and collecting the data which can later be used as evidence by law enforcement”