Bluetooth trackers, small devices used to locate personal items such as suitcases and keys, or vehicles and bicycles at risk of theft, They are an “attractive solution” for criminals looking to detect and locate illegal products, including drugs or vessels used in illegal immigration.

In an alert released this Monday, Europol warned that Bluetooth trackers, often used to locate personal items and vehicles, have become “an unexpected tool for organized crime” and are being used “to geolocate illicit goods, with special attention to drug trafficking.”

“Drug traffickers use them to track the transit of illicit cargo after arriving at ports and then by road to storage locations in European markets. They are also likely to be used to locate illegal shipments upon arrival at the port,” the European Union (EU) Police Coordination Office said.

The vast majority of cases are related to the Cocaine trafficking: These types of trackers have been used to locate loads, often weighing more than 100 kilos, with shipments originating in South America and destined for ports and markets across the EU. These devices are usually placed in drug transports in food containers or in boxes in seagoing vessels.

In the cases analyzed, the use of these trackers has also been discovered to locate vehicles targeted for property crimes, and to locate ships used in the illegal trafficking of migrants.

However, Europol has no indication that Bluetooth trackers are being used to geolocate shipments on the high seas as, given the current technological limitations of these devices, “it is unlikely that a tracker would be within range of a mobile phone connected to the device is connected.” kind of follower.” GPS technology is more suitable for this, which, in combination with Bluetooth, ensures a more reliable geolocation.

Although Bluetooth trackers are not effective when devices paired with the same type of tracker are out of range, they tend to be smaller, cheaper, waterproof, and have a longer battery life (about one to two years) compared to GPS trackers.

Bluetooth devices have a range that varies between about 10 and 120 meters in radius, so they are generally used for that locate personal items such as keys, wallets and suitcases, bicycles or a vehicle. (JO)