A 26-year-old Texas resident has been charged after allegedly flying a drone in restricted airspace near a FIFA World Cup venue in Houston, as US authorities intensify enforcement against unauthorized drone operations during the tournament.
John Alexander Meza, of La Porte, Texas, is accused of operating a DJI Mavic 3 on June 11—the opening day of the FIFA World Cup—without the required authorisation.
According to a criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of Texas, Meza lacked a remote pilot licence, failed to check for temporary flight restrictions and had not registered the drone with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Prosecutors said the drone remained airborne for about two minutes and climbed to just over 200 feet.
Court records show Meza has no attorney listed, and he did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
His case is among hundreds linked to illegal drone flights around World Cup venues across the United States. To strengthen security, the FAA has designated stadiums and official fan zones as “no drone zones” under temporary national defence airspace restrictions.
“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.”
The FBI says it has already confiscated more than 500 drones since the tournament began.
“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…”
Footage released by the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office shows agents inspecting confiscated drones and interviewing operators accused of violating restricted airspace rules.
One such incident occurred on June 12, when authorities detected an unauthorized drone near the World Cup fan festival at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta. Investigators tracked the aircraft to Lorenzo Rojas-Martinez, who allegedly admitted he was filming activities connected to the festival.
According to the criminal complaint, authorities later discovered Rojas-Martinez was living in the United States illegally, had previously been deported twice and had a prior conviction for cocaine distribution.
He was arrested and remains in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. Court records indicate he has not yet secured legal representation.
The FAA has imposed temporary flight restrictions around all 11 stadiums hosting World Cup matches.
The affected venues 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.
Under the restrictions, aircraft—including drones—are prohibited from operating within a three-nautical-mile radius of the stadiums and up to 3,000 feet above ground level unless specifically authorised by air traffic control.
The FAA has also extended similar restrictions to official fan event locations, including the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Dallas Fair Park and Rockefeller Center in New York, with additional sites potentially being added.
The broad restrictions have also resulted in charges against drone operators whose activities had no direct connection to the World Cup.
On June 13, Patrick Phillip Heer, 34, of Katy, Texas, was allegedly caught flying a drone near the FIFA World Cup Fan Zone in Houston. Authorities said Heer told investigators he was gathering footage for his partner’s real estate business.
According to the complaint, he admitted he did not possess the necessary licence and failed to verify whether temporary flight restrictions were in effect.
His attorney declined to comment.
The FAA says all temporary flight restrictions are published on its website and are also available through the B4UFLY mobile applications used by recreational drone pilots.
Many drone controllers also display warnings before 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.”
Drone operators who violate restricted airspace rules risk penalties of up to $100,000, confiscation of their aircraft, suspension or loss of pilot certification and federal criminal prosecution.
Authorities say they have so far 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.
“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.”
The FAA also noted that, beginning in 2026, its enforcement policy requires legal action whenever drone operations endanger public safety, breach restricted airspace or are linked to another criminal offence.
The agency pointed to previous enforcement actions, including a $20,370 fine issued in May 2024 after a drone flew over spectators at the Sunfest Music Festival in West Palm Beach, Florida, before crashing into a tree. Another operator received a $14,790 penalty for flying near State Farm Stadium during the 2023 Super Bowl.
Federal authorities insist enforcement will remain aggressive throughout the remainder of the tournament.
“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.”
In another pending case, Honduran national Luis Mauricio Flores Ordonez is accused of flying a DJI Mini 3 Pro near AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on June 14 during a World Cup fixture. Prosecutors allege the drone’s software would have alerted him that he was entering restricted airspace.
CNN said it contacted Flores Ordonez’s attorney for comment. If convicted, he could face 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.
Although the FIFA World Cup concludes with the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium, officials stressed that temporary drone restrictions will continue to be enforced around major sporting events, airports, critical infrastructure and other sensitive locations.
