It seems the feds are catching up to the criminals.
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) recently had some of its agents use one of Apple's AirTags to determine where drug dealers store their illegal drugs and where they buy them, per Forbes.
Apple has yet to comment on the DEA agents' usage of its Air Tag, though the tech giant does want its device to be used for tracking other people.
DEA Air Tag Tracking Report
According to a DEA search warrant dated May 2022, some of the agency's officials placed one Apple AirTag inside an intercepted package from Shanghai, China, which the agency suspects that it is on its way to an illegal drug dealer within the country.
Instead of going to the address on the package, which could've led to the drug dealer in question, agency officials used the AirTag they slipped into the package and followed the delivery's exact movements. According to the federal officials on the case, the AirTag's capabilities allowed investigators to obtain evidence about where such individuals store their illegal drugs or drug proceeds, where they get more for their supply, and where they distribute them.
Brady Wilkins, a retired detective in Arizona with the attorney general's office, said the DEA might be testing other alternative gadgets like the AirTag due to the unreliable nature of the gadgets currently available to police. "... sometimes [they] worked, sometimes, [they] didn't."
Additionally, Apple's AirTag is more easily hidden and less likely to be found by suspects - welcome traits for surveillance as the more readily available means are too hefty and conspicuous than Apple's Air Tags.
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According to Wilkins, suspects are improving their countersurveillance techniques, making them more difficult to track.
Interestingly, the intended recipient of the package has yet to be charged with any crime, though the DEA didn't share why it hadn't done so before.
Gizmodo attempted to ask the DEA why it chose an AirTag in the previously discussed operation over a different type of tracker, or how often law enforcement used AirTags in tracking down suspects. Unfortunately, the agency didn't send an immediate response.
Apple's Concerns With Its AirTags
The DEA's use of the AirTag is one of the many unintended applications of the product Apple is trying to correct. You may remember that Apple initially hoped that its AirTag would help people locate their personal belongings, per an Apple Newsroom post.
While this was the case for so many Apple customers, like Kelly Laing, who used her AirTag to track her missing travel luggage, and John Lewis, who used his AirTag to track his wallet across different cities, this is not the case for many.
Criminals have also used Apple's AirTags to stalk people across distances while thieves use the device to steal targeted cars. Even murderers use AirTags to track their victims, which was the case when an Indianapolis woman allegedly used their AirTag to track and kill her boyfriend, whom she accused of cheating.
Apple stated it is working closely with various safety groups and law enforcement agencies to prevent unwanted tracking, which led the company to push a firmware update that notifies iPhone users when an unfamiliar AirTag is present in their vicinity.
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