By admin 
LOS ANGELES (KABC) — The FBI says it seized 59 drones in Los Angeles during the 39 days of the World Cup after operators allegedly flew them illegally in restricted airspace around SoFi Stadium, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and other FIFA fan zones.
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The drones, displayed by the FBI at a news conference Tuesday, range in value from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars, according to officials.
Federal authorities said all of the drones were operating in restricted areas tied to World Cup events.
“We have a zero tolerance policy. We will find the drone and seize the drone,” said Patrick Grandy, assistant director of the FBI.
The Los Angeles seizures were part of a broader nationwide enforcement effort during the tournament.
Grandy said, “The FBI and our DHS colleagues across the nation seized more than 700 drones in the United States.”
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Video released by the FBI showed some of the enforcement actions carried out during the event.
Officials declined to explain in detail how they track unauthorized drones and their operators, but said agents were able to quickly locate pilots on the ground. Those operators were cited and required to surrender their drones, according to the FBI. Officials said their concerns extend beyond potential collisions with aircraft.
“That drone that carries a payload and is weaponized. That is obvious is something you’re seeing quite frequently overseas, and something that we’re concerned about here in the United States,” Grandy said.
The FBI said it hopes the public display of confiscated drones will encourage drone owners to learn and follow flight restrictions around major events to avoid citations and other penalties. With the World Cup concluded, officials said they are expanding drone-related security resources ahead of a series of major events in the Los Angeles area, beginning with the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium in February.
“We’ll host the Grammys, Golden Globes and all the other special events. Hopefully, we’ll have a Dodgers World Series in there too, and then very shortly after that, we’re going to embark upon the largest national security special event in the history of the United States, which is going to be the Summer Olympics in LA 28,” Grandy said.
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