LA County Dealer Used Drone To Deliver Drugs, Leading To Overdose: DOJ

LOS ANGELES, CA — A Los Angeles County man used a drone to deliver fentanyl and other narcotics to buyers, leading to a fatal overdose, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Police arrested Christopher Laney, 34, of Lancaster , Wednesday on suspicion of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, four counts of knowingly and willfully operating an unregistered aircraft in furtherance of a felony narcotics crime, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to a grand jury indictment unsealed Wednesday, Laney used a drone in January of 2023 to transport fentanyl from his house to a nearby church parking lot.

Laney distributed the fentanyl to a third party that provided it to the victim, identified as “J.K.”, who was found dead the next day after she suffered a fatal drug overdose, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

"As captured on video footage taken by the drone, Laney used the same unregistered drone to transport and distribute narcotics on at least three other occasions in December 2022 and January 2023," the justice department announced in a written statement.

The drone flights caught the attention the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the United States Customs and Border Protection’s Center for Air and Marine Drone Exploitation, which were all involved in the investigation.

According to prosecutors, Laney was found to be in possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl at his home along with and multiple firearms, including an AR-15-style rifle ghost gun and two 9mm semiautomatic ghost-gun pistols.

Laney faces 25 years-to life in federal prison if convicted on all charges.