The March 24th theft at CAC International, a logistics and shipping company located in Harrison, NJ, spooked authorities because these drones are built for precision spraying of crops and, in the wrong hands, could be programmed to disperse dangerous chemicals over a route controlled by GPS.
The drones were recovered at Prudent Corporation, located in Dover, NJ.
"This is an active, ongoing investigation that Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Patrol are assisting with. No additional information is available," a state police statement said.
The stolen drones were dropped off at the Dover warehouse the same day, where they have apparently been sitting ever since, according to workers who said they noticed them and called police.
Reports began to surface that authorities, including the FBI, were on the lookout for the drones. That's when someone at the Dover warehouse contacted police.
The drones are operated remotely and can drop chemicals anywhere the operators decide.
The farming drones were catalogued by investigators and placed on a large tractor-trailer to be moved to a secure location.