ATLANTA — The Federal Bureau of Investigation said agents have seized at least 95 drones flying around Mercedes-Benz Stadium, currently known as Atlanta Stadium, during World Cup events.
That number could change. The no-fly zone law is in effect until July 21. The change took effect June.
So far, pilots impacts are waiting for their day in court to talk publicly, but local pilot Bill Cross said he knows one person who lost a drone.
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“He was doing a construction job downtown Atlanta,” said Cross.
He said the pilot was getting video of the property more than a mile from the stadium where a FIFA game was underway.
That would have been legal on a non-match day. However, a game was underway at the stadium.
On non-match days, the no-fly zone is set to one mile. On days in which matches are played in Atlanta, the radius extends to three miles around the stadium.
Within minutes, Cross said the FBI swooped in on his friend’s location.
“He was then surrounded by 20 FBI agents. They came in on golf carts and seized his drone,” said Cross.
In addition to the no-fly zone around the stadium, other counties and cities issued no drone zones around World Cup events.
Cobb County Police Chief Dan Ferrell told Channel 2 Action News in March that it was an effort to protect crowds.
“People are using drones, and they’re arming drones and then they use these drones to fly into populated areas,” said Ferrell.
Cross said pilots are required to check Federal Aviation Administration no-fly zones before putting a drone into the air.
He said law enforcement can detect violators fast.
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“They know where you’re standing. They know where the drone is. They can actually take your drone down themselves if they want,” said Cross.
FBI agents arrested one pilot near the stadium due to immigration law violations, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The rest have received tickets. That ticket sets a court date for their case. That’s when prosecutors said they will likely get the option of paying a fine to get their drone back or contest the charge and let a judge decide.
Cross said his friend’s court date is not until August.
“He’s not going to have his drone for half the summer, and, you know, he depends on that for his business,” said Cross.
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