Border Patrol: Cannon Used to Shoot Drugs Into US U.S. Border Patrol agents say smugglers have come up with yet another creative way to get drugs in the country - a cannon. Authorities say 33 cans of marijuana were spotted Friday in a field near where the Colorado River crosses the U.S.-Mexico border. They believe the cans were launched about 500 feet into the U.S. using a pneumatic-powered cannon. After searching the area, agents recovered a carbon dioxide tank. Mexican authorities were also notified and searched their side of the border. The 85 pounds of marijuana found in the cans had an estimated value of $42,500. Authorities say Border Patrol agents in the Yuma sector near the Arizona-California border are adapting and shifting resources as smugglers come up with new ways of transporting their contraband.