Colombia has started the use of drones to poison cocaine crops. The law enforcement in the country has started the new method aimed at farmers who produce cocaine. Government officials have been using drones for a crackdown on farmers who produce the drug making crops. It is only recently they started using drones for a step ahead. But if the poison can affect humans or not is a topic of debate. Some state that it can increase the risk of cancer and other illness in humans. However, the precision with which the drones currently function is impressive.

And for this, the Colombian government has partnered with a drone company to equip drones with herbicide. So these drones now not only locate cocaine fields but also destroy the plants at the same time. Cocaine Sensing Chip Developed by Scientists, Will Sniff out Drugs as Quick as Breathalyser

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, for the initial test rollout, 10 drones have been deployed. And the results state that these drones are more accurate than similar herbicide deployment from manned aircraft. These drones have already killed "hundreds of acres" of cocaine crops during their initial tests. They weigh around 50 pounds carrying a lot of plant-killing chemicals.

Reportedly, these drones can even identify the crops from large distances with their birds-eye-view camera. The other side of these drones are if armed farmers locate it, but losing one is quite an inexpensive affair. When dropping from the top, the chemical generally tends to move with air, spread over a wide area and affected other plants too. Hence the technique becomes more useful if the cocaine farms are spread over acres of land.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 23, 2018 11:28 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).