Police drone helps capture suspects dumping waste in E China sea

Using a drone to obtain the evidence, police in the east China city of Xiamen have intercepted a group of suspects who illegally dumped waste into the sea near a national nature reserve.

The suspects on a ship were en route toward the sea area near Tuyu Island in Xiamen, where they had dumped more than 5,000 cubic meters of silt before the police interception, according to a police investigation.

The police said it is difficult to discover marine waste dumping, because such operations are secret and happen quickly, making it difficult to discover.

With aerial photographs taken by an unmanned aerial vehicle, the police collected evidence of the dumping location, navigation tracking, operation area and dumping volume.

Police said the sea area is close to the nature reserve, which is a sanctuary for Chinese white dolphins, an endangered species. Police have strengthened the supervision of environmental pollution in the area.