Smugglers Use Cannon To Shoot Drugs Into US

Smugglers have come up with a creative way to get pot into the United States - a cannon.

US Border Patrol agents said they had spotted 33 cans of marijuana in a field near where the Colorado River crosses the US-Mexico border.

They believe the cans were launched about 150m (500 feet) into the US using a pneumatic-powered cannon.

The cans held about 38.5kgs (85 pounds) of marijuana, which is worth an estimated $42,500 (£26,500) on the street.

The agents were alerted by recent reports of some strange canisters popping up near the Colorado River in southern Arizona.

After searching the area, they recovered a carbon dioxide tank.

Mexican authorities were also notified and searched their side of the border.

The cannon is one of several innovative ways in which the smugglers transport their contraband.

Others include catapults, underground tunnels and cocaine-filled submarines, according to American news reports.

US officials have stepped up efforts against drug trafficking, combining border and sea patrolling with intelligence and co-operation with nations in South America.