Drone seizures and arrests for flying too close to World Cup events: Here’s where to operate legally

By Alexandra Skores, CNN

Washington, DC (CNN) — A 26-year-old Texas man trying to capture video footage of a church in Houston is facing charges for illegally operating a drone too close to a World Cup event as authorities across the country crack down on unauthorized flights.

John Alexander Meza of La Porte, Texas, allegedly flew a DJI Mavic 3 in restricted airspace in Houston on June 11, the opening day of the FIFA tournament. He did not have a remote pilot license, did not check for flight restrictions, and his drone was not registered with the Federal Aviation Administration, a criminal complaint filed with the Southern District of Texas said. His flight lasted two minutes and reached just over 200 feet, prosecutors wrote in the document.

Meza does not have a lawyer listed in court records and did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.

He is one of hundreds of people in trouble for operating drones illegally near FIFA sites in World Cup host cities. The Federal Aviation Administration established “national defense airspace” around stadiums and official fan events, and designated them as “no drone zones” for security reasons.

“Flying in a restricted zone isn’t just dangerous, it’s a federal crime,” said FBI’s Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Field Office Brett Skiles. “Temporary flight restrictions protect fans, players and critical infrastructure from accidents and security threats.”

So far, the FBI has seized more than 500 drones since the start of the World Cup.

“This is exactly what we envisioned – working with our interagency partners across the board to mitigate the drone threat and keep every game, every fan, and every athlete safe during these historic World Cup matches,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement to CNN. “We’ve still got more to do and will continue working around the clock…”

Video released by the FBI’s Atlanta office show FBI agents and other law enforcement examining drones found flying where they shouldn’t be and questioning the pilots.

On June 12, the Atlanta command post detected an unauthorized drone being flown near the fan festival in Centennial Olympic Park, an FBI special agent wrote in a criminal complaint. Tracking systems gave precise GPS coordinates where the operator was located and agents said they found Lorenzo Rojas-Martinez flying a drone. He told agents he was filming events related to the festival, according to the complaint.

The FBI determined he was in the US illegally, had twice previously been deported, and had a prior conviction for cocaine distribution. He was arrested and remains in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. Rojas-Martinez does not yet have an attorney, according to court records.

If you’re planning on operating a drone over the next month, there are some rules you need to follow to avoid potential charges.

No drone zones

There are 11 stadiums hosting World Cup matches that are all covered by wide restricted airspace.

These venue locations include: SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Levi’s Stadium in the Bay Area, Lumen Field in Seattle, AT&T Stadium near Dallas-Fort Worth, NRG Stadium in Houston, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Gillette Stadium near Boston, Hard Rock Stadium near Miami, Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

All aircraft operations around the stadiums, including drones, are prohibited within a 3-nautical-mile (3.5 statute mile) radius and up to 3,000 feet above ground level, unless otherwise authorized by air traffic control, according to the FAA.

The FAA is also restricting drone usage around fan event locations such as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Dallas Fair Park and Rockefeller Center in New York, among others. More locations may be added and the list is subject to change, the FAA said.

The wide swath of the “no drone zones” has also led to charges against operators who were taking pictures of things unrelated to the World Cup.

On June 13, Patrick Phillip Heer, 34, of Katy, Texas, was allegedly observed by law enforcement flying a drone near the FIFA World Cup Fan Zone just east of downtown Houston. A federal criminal complaint says he was trying to get footage for his significant other’s real estate business. He told FBI agents he did not have the proper licensing and, while he was aware of what temporary flight restrictions were, he did not check to see if there were any in place, the complaint said.

Heer’s attorney declined to comment.

All airspace restrictions are posted on the FAA’s website, and included in the B4UFLY apps that are available for recreational unmanned pilots.

Drone remote controls can also warn pilots if they are about to take off in restricted airspace.

“A pilot… would likely have received a message on their controller stating that they were operating their drone in restricted airspace,” the FBI wrote in one of the criminal complaints. “The pilot would have to have clicked on and acknowledged before the message before it went away.”

Violators can face serious consequences

Drone operators who enter the restricted airspace without authorization can face fines of up to $100,000, drone confiscation, loss of a remote license and federal criminal charges, the FAA said.

So far, the FBI and its partners have seized more than 48 drones in Los Angeles, 98 in Miami, 29 in Seattle, 63 in Dallas, 77 in Atlanta, 40 in New York, nine in Newark and 33 in Houston. CNN has reached out to the offices in San Francisco, Boston, Kansas City, and Philadelphia for its latest numbers as well.

“As fans from around the world gather at stadiums and fan events across the country for the FIFA World Cup, the FAA is using every available tool to protect the airspace, including stronger drone-enforcement efforts,” said Bryan Bedford, FAA administrator. “Drone operators should expect swift action if they violate restricted airspace.”

In 2026, the FAA updated its enforcement policy to require legal action when drone operations endanger the public, violate airspace restrictions, or are conducted in furtherance of another crime.

In recent years, the FAA has fined several operators.

In May 2024, a remote pilot was fined $20,370 for flying a drone over people at the Sunfest Music Festival in West Palm Beach, Florida, ending in the aircraft striking a tree.

Another pilot was fined $14,790 for operating a drone in February 2023 near State Farm Stadium in Arizona, during the Super Bowl.

This summer, the FBI said it will not back down in prosecuting anyone caught violating the rules of the restricted airspace.

“If a drone operator were to fly a drone (in restricted airspace), we will mitigate that,” James Barnacle, assistant director in charge of the New York FBI Field Office, told CNN. “We will go and we will potentially take their drone.”

A criminal complaint filed in the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division states that Honduran national Luis Mauricio Flores Ordonez allegedly was flying a DJI Mini 3 pro drone near Dallas Stadium on June 14, when the first World Cup game was being played in Arlington, Texas. The complaint alleges the drone had a feature that would have warned him about the restricted airspace.

CNN reached out to Flores Ordonez’s attorney for comment. If convicted of this offense, he faces up to three years in federal prison.

“It is the drone operator’s responsibility to understand where temporary flight restrictions exist,” FBI Dallas Special Agent In Charge Joseph Rothrock said in a news release.

The World Cup ends on July 19 with the final match at MetLife Stadium, however, there will still be restrictions for drone flights around future sporting events, airports, critical infrastructure and other areas.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Mark Morales contributed to this report.