Elsewhere in thread, they say they used a DJI Spreading Wings S900, which has a flight time of 18 minutes. Using the fully automated remotes, there's a claimed range of 11-32 km depending on antennae, etc. Navigation, etc, could either be done with binoculars, or using the avionics package you can get for the drone, with gps, radio beacons, etc.
If found by the feds, identifying could be tricky; you'd have to do the old fashioned footwork of knocking on doors, asking if they saw any suspicious people. Given that a good amount of Mexico, including Tijuana, is in the midst of a hardcore drug war, finding witnesses could be more than a bit tough.
- What is the range between the remote control and the receiver on the drone?
- How does the person piloting the drone know where it is going? Do they track its GPS signal?
- How does the person piloting the drone know what it is landing on (ground, rooftop, trashcan)?
- How likely is it that when a drone is found, its pilot can be identified? What methods of investigation, if any?