Cochise Cronyism, Part 2: sheriff used office to shill for Canadian drone company seeking to cash in on militarized law enforcement
Company director and influential sheriff among those who worked to craft Project 2025 plans for militarized law enforcement
Cochise County, with its 84 miles of international border and vocally MAGA-alligned sheriff, appears to be a nexus for unfolding cronyism and profiteering under this new Trump administration.
The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office recently received a million dollar federal taxpayer-funded grant-- at least a quarter of which appears to be earmarked largely for the travel expenses of Sheriff Mark Dannels, so that Dannels may spread the gospel of “standing united and border security.” This is an interesting expenditure of taxpayer dollars, given Dannels’ history of ties to far-right extremists and dubious border security claims [read more here and here].
Further, Dannels has seemingly used his public office and public law enforcement agency to undertake an advertising campaign for a private defense contractor. This campaign has not only benefited the profit-driven corporation in its quest to attain contracts under the reign of Trump, but has also likely enriched the corporation’s board members and others receiving equity compensation. Among this defense contractor’s board members is a Trump ally who served in a Project 2025 leadership position, and appears to have provided guidance to the Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup.
The Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup was an entity Dannels was also also involved with. This group worked throughout 2024 to shape policy and plans meant to implement Donald Trump’s mass deportation and other national security objectives.
A core effort of this group was the creation of plans meant to implement a new nationwide fusion center-style law enforcement command structure that would merge all levels of domestic law enforcement (from municipal and county, to state and federal) with the military. This new command structure would ultimately fall under the command of President Trump [read more about this here].
“Cochise Cronyism” is a continuation of the “Big Takeover” series of investigative reporting detailing these plans and the individuals involved in crafting them. The series is jointly published by Cochise Regional News and Phoenix New Times.
“Cochise Cronyism” is broken into two parts. This is the second part. If you have not read the first part, please do so here.
“Backyard to Borders”
In the first part of “Cochise Cronyism,” we discussed a $1 million federal grant the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) received related to their involvement in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) 287(g) program.
According to a September 30 award letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate, $250,000 of that grant was earmarked specifically for “travel.” The description provided in the letter relating to this “travel” seemed to dwell largely on Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels’ leadership positions in various sheriffs’ groups, and stated that the funding may be used for travel and other expenses related to conferences. The sheriffs’ groups named in the letter all hold conferences-- and many of those conferences are held in luxury hotels, resorts, and casinos. [For more on this, read the first part of “Cochise Cronyism.”]
The final sentence of the “travel” description contained in the September 30 FEMA award letter reads:
“The grant if approved will also help fund the Backyard to Borders program where the CCSO offers law enforcement, politicians, and anyone wanting to learn about the border an opportunity to visit Cochise County to learn about creative ways CCSO has helped secure the border and deal with challenges both from a criminal and humanitarian aspect we are faced with daily.”
CCSO Public Information Officer Carol Capas did not respond to CRN/New Times’ repeated questions seeking information on what portion of the $250,000 awarded in “travel” expenses would be spent on this “Backyard to Borders” program, how this federal grant money may be used in relation to this program, or who may be visiting Cochise County as part of this program.
Notably, CCSO personnel did engage in border education activities earlier this year with representatives of the Center for Immigration Studies, which is a public policy organization that is part of the anti-immigration network created by white nationalist John Tanton. It is not known, however, if this was formally part of CCSO’s “Backyard to Borders” program.
[Note: Dannels has a history of association with far-right extremists and of making dubious border security claims (read more here and here), and the Tanton network has a long history of activity in Cochise County.]
In any event, CCSO doesn’t seem eager to share how they may, or may not, be spending federal tax dollars on such activities-- but lets take a look at some of the recent border-related educational efforts the agency has only been too eager to share with (some) members the press, the law enforcement community, and public.
Through the course of this year, CCSO has definitely undertaken educational efforts to share “creative ways” the agency has approached border security-- particularly where those efforts have involved Canadian drone manufacturer, Draganfly, Inc.
Crafting plans for a nationwide militarized law enforcement command structure answerable only to Trump
As previously discussed, Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels took part in the Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup throughout 2024.
Project 2025 is the name of an effort led by right-wing think tank, The Heritage Foundation. The effort included input from a coalition of various right-wing public policy foundations and individual contributors.
In April 2023, the group published a 922-page policy handbook titled “2025 Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise.” In essence, the handbook laid out plans to reshape the federal government under a second Trump administration around two pillars.
One was the obscure “unitary executive” legal theory, which essentially consolidates executive power in the hands of the president. Critics of “unitary executive” theory argue that it is unconstitutional and essentially reframes the presidency as something akin to a dictatorship or monarchy.
The second pillar is hard-line Christian fundamentalism.
The Heritage Foundation was co-founded in 1973 by right-wing political luminary and Christian nationalist Paul Weyrich. A number of other groups in the Project 2025 sphere had also been co-founded or had legacies of partnership with Weyrich. And other involved groups, such as the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Center for Renewing America, have Christian nationalists and/or far-right Evangelical activists among their leadership.
Border Security Workgroup documents obtained by CRN/New Times demonstrate that Project 2025 continued working, well beyond the 2023 publication of the “Mandate for Leadership” tome, to craft policy for a hoped-for second Donald Trump presidency.
This work was delegated, in part, to various Project 2025 subgroups, according to documents we’ve obtained. The Border Security Workgroup was one such group. Specifically, the group was tasked with creating implementing plans and policies for Trump’s promised mass immigrant deportations and other national security objectives.
Just as Project 2025, writ large, has deep roots in Christian nationalism, documentation obtained by CRN/New Times indicates that many involved in the Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup had substantial ties to Christian nationalists. The group also had ties to other far-right elements, like the anti-immigrant network founded by white nationalist John Tanton, and insurrectionist/election denying actors within the MAGA movement.
The “main operational effort” of the Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup was planning for the creation and implementation of a new nationwide “multi-jurisdictional” fusion center-style system of law enforcement, according to documents. Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup materials indicate that this system would merge all levels of American domestic law enforcement (local, state, tribal, and federal) with military components. And, according to documents, this new law enforcement apparatus would be under the command of a “Commander of Domestic Security Operations,” appointed by President Trump-- and answering only to President Trump. [Read more about this here.]
Border Security Workgroup documentation obtained by CRN/New Times indicates that the group proposed that either Trump’s “border czar” or Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary serve this “Commander of Domestic Security Operations” function. Trump border czar Tom Homan was listed, as a Heritage fellow, among contributors to Project 2025’s “Mandate for Leadership” document.
According to documentation obtained by CRN/New Times, plans and proposals created by the Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup in 2024 called for the implementation of this new militarized multi-jurisdictional command structure through the course of “Operation Demonstrate Resolve,” which was to be rolled out in phases as the administration pursued its mass immigrant deportation and other national security efforts.
“Demonstrate Resolve” timelines contained in Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup documentation bear a striking resemblance to actions undertaken by the administration through the course of the first year of this Trump presidency.
As is stated in these timelines and other documentation obtained by CRN/New Times, “Operation Demonstrate Resolve” and the creation of the militarized “multi-jurisdictional” law enforcement command structure were to shift to an attitude of “sustained operations” and an eventual shift to “all threats” following initial phases of immigrant detentions and deportations.
Given this fact, as well as the insurrectionist and anti-democratic backgrounds of many involved in Project 2025, it is important to note that Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup documentation we’ve obtained specifically contemplates “counter-intelligence” work to combat an “insider threat” working “to subvert the President’s plan.” In total, documentation we’ve obtained (which consists largely of the group’s work product and internal group emails) contemplates the targeting-- through a variety of means-- of certain non-governmental organizations, government agencies, judicial districts, and a number of states or cities governed by the Democratic Party.
[Note: we are detailing these Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup plans through an investigative series called “The Big Takeover.” This reporting is part of that series. The first installment of this series, detailing this proposed militarized law enforcement system, was published in May-- just weeks before the Trump administration began sending military forces into American cities. Further installments of this series are forthcoming.]
Which all brings us to Christopher Charles Miller and the apparent cronyism related to Trump’s national security and immigration policy underway in Cochise County [for more on this, read the first part of “Cochise Cronyism.”]
Miller served as acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) during the insurrectionist period of the first Trump administration. This period followed Trump’s November 2020 electoral loss and ended on the date of the inauguration of President Joe Biden (January 20, 2021). The months that followed Trump’s electoral defeat were marked by the lunatic fringe in Trump’s circle (people like attorney Sydney Powell and former Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn) urging things like martial law-- and, of course, by the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
On November 9, 2020 (less than a week following Trump’s election loss), Trump fired DoD secretary Mark Esper. Esper had reportedly been among those to pull Trump back from the brink of military deployment against Americans during widespread protests against police violence that took place in the summer of that year. On the day he fired Esper, Trump installed Miller in his place.
Miller drew criticism for his actions at DoD in the twilight of the first Trump presidency. This included criticism for his decision to delay deployment of the D.C. National Guard to aid embattled Capitol Police on January 6, as well as obstruction of Biden transition team access to the Pentagon.
Following the first Trump administration, Miller entered the world of private defense contractors, becoming an “executive” with “private autonomous flight company” DZYNE Technologies in 2022, according to records. DYZNE materials show that the company produces drone technologies for the defense sector.
During this period, Miller also authored the Project 2025 “Mandate for Leadership” chapter on U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) policy. Interestingly, a good portion of Miller’s DoD chapter dealt with the optimizing DoD “acquisition and sustainment” practices, relating to DoD “ability to acquire and field new and existing technologies.”
Miller’s “Mandate for Leadership” chapter also listed a number of “priorities” for DoD policy. One of these priorities was provision of military support to DHS for “border protection operations.” In this writing, the former Trump acting DoD secretary also called for establishment of “true alignment between DoD and DHS both to improve the defense of critical U.S. infrastructure and national border integrity.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is an agency that oversees several federal law enforcement agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Several DHS offices and component agencies work to protect critical infrastructure nationwide. Military performance of domestic law enforcement functions is generally prohibited by the Posse Comitatus Act, though— as Miller noted in his “Mandate for Leadership” chapter— DoD may provide limited assistance and support to civil authorities and domestic law enforcement under certain circumstances, such as domestic emergencies.
According to documentation obtained by CRN/New Times, a “Chris Miller” worked as Project 2025’s overall “DoD lead” throughout 2024. Documentation also indicates that Project 2025’s broader DoD efforts were distributed across a number of subgroups, and that these subgroups ultimately worked under the guidance of a “Chris Miller” and other Project 2025 personnel.
Among these DoD subgroups was the Project 2025 Army Work Group. Documentation we’ve obtained indicates that it was from this Army Work Group that the Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup sprang in late April 2024.
According to documentation obtained by CRN/New Times, the Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup filled out over the course of May and June 2024. By the end of June, the group had more than 30 participants, at least a third of which had military or intelligence backgrounds. Through the course of their work, leadership of the Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup remained in the hands of retired military personnel who served in leadership positions within the Project 2025 Army Work Group and broader Project 2025 DoD environment, according to documentation.
In May 2024, the Border Security Workgroup designated multiple “teams,” each of which were tasked with “lines of operation” deemed essential to implementing Trump’s mass immigrant deportation and national security agenda. The team tasked with planning the creation of the new militarized “multi-jurisdictional law enforcement” command structure constituted the Project 2025 subgroup’s “main operational effort” and was the group’s largest team, according to documents obtained by CRN/New Times.
According to this documentation, by May 20, 2024 the primary leader of this “multi-jurisdictional law enforcement” team, Goliad County, Texas Sheriff Roy Boyd, had asked Cochise County Sheriff Dannels-- with his rising MAGA celebrity and leadership status in various sheriffs’ and law enforcement groups-- to join the Border Security Workgroup’s efforts. Documentation indicates Dannels accepted the invitation and remained a participant in the Project 2025 subgroup throughout that year.
Dannels’ most influential position among the various law enforcement groups he is a part of is likely his position as chairman of the National Sheriff’s Association’s (NSA) Border Security Committee [for more on Dannels and these groups, see the first part of “Cochise Cronyism”].
According to records obtained by CRN/New Times, Dannels’ NSA Border Security Committee co-chair, Brooks County, Texas Sheriff Urbino “Benny” Martinez,” served as one of two co-leads (along with Boyd) of the Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup “multi-jurisdictional law enforcement” team. Another influential NSA member, Collin County, Texas Sheriff Jim Skinner, was also a participant in the Border Security Workgroup, according to documentation obtained by CRN/New Times. Skinner is chairman of the NSA Government Affairs Committee.
Documents obtained by CRN/New Times indicate that, throughout the course of their work, Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup members took part in Project 2025 DoD functions, and met multiple times with Project 2025 “DoD leadership.”
According to Border Security Workgroup internal emails we’ve obtained, this included meetings/briefings with “Chris Miller (Project 2025 DoD lead).” A “Christopher Miller” was among recipients of workgroup emails discussing these meetings/briefings.
During some of these meetings, the group briefed “Project 2025 DoD lead” Miller on their ongoing work and received guidance from Miller, according to documents.
To be clear, the Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup was tasked-- from its very beginning-- with “providing defense support” to domestic law enforcement, and overcoming prohibitions on military performance of domestic law enforcement associated with “border security.” Military performance of domestic law enforcement functions is generally prohibited by the Posse Comitatus Act. And-- as is clearly stated in documentation obtained by CRN/New Times-- the Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup envisioned these “border security” operations to take place in all 50 states-- not just on the border.
Records of guidance given by “Chris Miller (Project 2025 DoD lead)” to Border Security Workgroup members reflects this posture. According to workgroup records detailing a “P25 DoD lead” briefing that took place on June 30, 2024, Miller had provided guidance to the group calling for “comprehensive implementing plans” to include “DoD constabulary roles” and “support to LEAs [law enforcement agencies],” ready for execution “upon inauguration.”
Documents detailing plans and policies crafted by the Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup show that the group certainly took this guidance to heart. And, as we’ve watched the administration attempt to flood city after city with military forces, it would appear as though Trump and friends took these plans to heart as well.
CRN/New Times attempted to contact Christopher Miller and submitted written questions pertaining to Project 2025 and other matters relevant to this reporting. We received no response to any of these questions or attempts at contact.
Cashing in on militarized law enforcement in the age of Trump
Following Trump’s electoral victory and subsequent inauguration, some members of the Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup continued their work within the Trump administration.
According to documents obtained by CRN/New Times, this has included freelance consultancy within Trump’s Department of Homeland Security on the part of key Border Security Workgroup members who lead the effort to create the new militarized “multi-jurisdictional law enforcement” command structure.
Other Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup participants were appointed or hired to terrifying positions within the Trump administration.
One example of this is Earl Matthews, who was confirmed as general counsel to the Department of Defense in late July. Matthews is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s chief legal advisor.
Another example would be Joseph Humire, who was hired on at DoD in June (right around the time Trump decided to seize California’s National Guard and deploy them, along with active U.S. Marines, to Los Angeles) as “deputy assistant secretary of Defense for homeland defense integration and defense support of civil authorities.” Humire has since been promoted to “deputy assistant secretary of War for Americas security affairs.” [In case anyone missed it, Trump declared the U.S. Department of Defense to be the “Department of War” in September.]
Miller went another route. After helping to create plans for a nationwide militarized law enforcement command structure answerable only to Trump, the former acting DoD secretary chose to remain in the private sector.
On March 19, 2025 Miller joined the board of directors of Draganfly, Inc. Draganfly is a Canadian drone manufacturer and developer of AI-driven autonomous drones, headquartered in Saskatchewan, specializing in defense and law enforcement markets.
In statements filed with the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), Draganfly (which is a publicly-traded corporation) stated that the “extensive experience” of “former Acting U.S. Secretary of Defense under President Donald Trump” Christoper Miller was “expected to guide Draganfly’s strategic initiatives in government, defense, and aerospace sectors.”
According to statements filed with SEC, Draganfly had been working to enhance its “positioning and preparedness to support the enhancement of border security” during the early months of this Trump presidency.
These efforts also included the March 10 opening of a “U.S. location in Tampa, Florida,” “strategically positioned near key military and government clients,” according to SEC records. Delaware Division of Corporations records indicate that Dragnfly had incorporated a U.S. subsidiary, Draganfly Innovations USA, in that state in January 2020.
Records obtained through a public records request to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office demonstrate that Draganfly reps, including company founder and CEO Cameron Chell, visited Cochise County on March 6, 2025. During the visit, the Draganfly team went on border “ride-alongs” with CCSO personnel and “conducted real-world testing on active illegal border crossings,” according to records.
Records suggest that this visit marked the outset of a joint CCSO/Draganfly “drone project” for the agency’s Southern Arizona Border Region Enforcement Team (SABRE). SABRE is headed by CCSO Special Operations Division Captain Tim Williams, and records indicate Williams served as Draganfly’s primary point of contact within the agency.
Not long after Draganfly appointed Miller to their board on March 19, CCSO started what can only be described as a campaign of very actively promoting the company.
Apparently, Williams was pleased with Draganfly’s performance-- so much so that in April he decided to promote them through a presentation to the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), according to records. According to email correspondence obtained by CRN/New Times, Williams “cleared” this idea with Draganfly CEO Chell. IACP is yet another law enforcement association that holds conferences at which cops and corporate vendors/sponsors mingle. [See the first part of “Cochise Cronyism”.]
On April 16, Draganfly further bolstered their efforts to tap into the homeland security market by announcing the formation of its Public Safety Advisory Board, with “homeland security and law enforcement expert” Paul Goldenberg serving as its chair.
Goldenberg is chairman and president of Cardinal Point Strategies (CPS), a private “public policy consulting firm specializing in homeland security, intelligence, law enforcement and public safety matters,” according to the group’s website. CPS bills itself as “the go-to firm for government agencies in the U.S. and abroad, C-suite executives, non-governmental and faith-based groups, as well as law enforcement.”
Among his other credits, Goldenberg is a member of the National Sheriff’s Association (NSA) Border Security Committee, which has long been chaired by Cochise County Sheriff Dannels.
In an email exchange over the course of May 8 and 9, Goldenberg told Williams of his plans to leverage an upcoming NSA conference to secure federal funding. Chell, along with other Draganfly and CPS personnel were cc’ed.
“I’m also scheduled to present at the NSA Border Committee meeting next month in Fort Lauderdale, as an official member. I’d like to use that platform to share an after-action report, and-- ideally-- with the support of the NSA, present a cohesive proposal to the U.S. government to fund our platform,” wrote Goldenberg. “With Tim’s involvement [...] we have the potential to deliver a comprehensive and impactful plan.”
Williams is a “committee member” of NSA’s “Board of Technology,” according to biographical materials posted by Williams. [For more on sheriffs’ organizations and their conferences, see the first part of “Cochise Cronyism”.]
Incidentally, it was during the course of this National Sheriffs’ Association conference (held June 23 through 26) that Dannels’ appointment to Trump’s Homeland Security Advisory Committee was announced, on June 24.
By the time that conference rolled around, Dannels and CCSO had shifted their promotion of Draganfly into high gear.
On June 6, Trump issued an executive order “Unleashing American Drone Dominance.”
“The United States must accelerate the safe commercialization of drone technologies and fully integrate [unmanned aircraft systems] into the National Airspace System,” read the order. “The time has come to accelerate testing and to enable routine drone operations, scale up domestic production, and expand the export of trusted, American-manufactured drone technologies to global markets.”
For those in the drone industry, and for the investing public, this was a sign of a potentially heating market.
According to records obtained by CRN/New Times, on June 8, Williams sent Dannels and CCSO Chief of Staff Tom Alinen an email forwarding a press release Draganfly had sent him, promoting their partnership with CCSO.
The Draganfly press release, dated June 7, was written in the voice of CCSO:
“The Cochise County Sheriff’s Department [sic] is proud to announce the launch of a cutting-edge drone pilot program and has selected Draganfly, Inc (NASDAQ: DPRO) to support enhanced surveillance and operations along the Southern Border [sic]. This initiative aligns with President Donald J. Trump’s executive order, ‘Unleashing American Drone Dominance,’ aimed at reasserting America’s leadership in unmanned aerial systems for security and defense.”
And on it went, heaping praise on CCSO and Canada-headquartered Draganfly-- which described itself as “an industry leader” whose “drones are manufactured in North America.”
Email records demonstrate that Dannels forwarded the Draganfly press release to CCSO Public Information Officer Capas. Records indicate that CCSO subsequently adopted adopted the press release, though they took Draganfly’s text and put it on their letterhead, and changed Draganfly’s “Cochise County Sheriff’s Department” to the correct agency name.
Neither CCO nor Draganfly responded to CRN/New Times’ questions relating to this press release.
On June 9, Draganfly CEO Chell sent Williams a “memo,” outlining a “Pilot Program” agreement between CCSO and Draganfly, “to support the integration of Drones & AI solutions within the border surveillance and security procedures.”
Once again, according to records provided by CCSO, it appears as though the memorandum, written in CCSO’s voice, had in fact been written by Draganfly.
In June 9 emails, Chell asked Williams to sign the memo and address any issues with Draganfly’s copy as soon as possible. “If possible, if we can sort today, that would be helpful,” wrote Chell. In another June 9 email, Chell explained to Williams that, “[f]rom a regulatory perspective, we need to have something signed.”
Records indicate that Williams made some very minor adjustments, signed the agreement on June 9, and then forwarded it on to both Chell and Dannels.
Neither CCSO, Draganfly, nor Chell responded to CRN/New Times’ questions relating to this memo, its authorship, or the “regulatory perspective” cited by Chell.
The “regulatory perspective” Chell mentioned to Williams may have been in relation to SEC regulations that require statements issued to investors and shareholders to be (reasonably) honest. Draganfly had their press release set to go, on the heels of Trump’s executive order (and is required to file all such press releases with the SEC upon issuance), but-- up to the moment Williams signed the “memo” on June 9-- there was no actual signed agreement between CCSO and the drone manufacturer.
Indeed, the only agreement produced by CCSO in response to CRN/New Times’ public records request seeking any/all agreements, contracts, etc. entered into between the agency and Draganfly was the June 9 “memo.”
According to SEC filings, upon receiving the signed CCSO memo on June 9, Draganfly issued a press release on June 10. The press release filed with the SEC was essentially the same as the release Draganfly had sent to CCSO on June 7 (complete with “Cochise County Sheriff’s Department” errors), but in the company’s own voice.
The following day, June 11, Draganfly issued a press release advertising a U.S.-only public offering of 5.5 million units, with a value of $13.75 million. Sale of these units was expected to end the following day, according to the release. The purpose of the offering was “to accelerate growth, deepen defense market penetration, and expand [Draganfly’s] R&D pipeline,” according to Draganfly materials.
Then the media blitz began.
“Co-branded” media blitz-- public agency shills for profit-driven defense contractor
The memo signed by Williams on June 9 contained provisions through which CCSO agreed to promote the joint program with Draganfly through “co-branded announcements, media engagements, and speaking opportunities.” Draganfly, for their part, agreed to “furnish all necessary aircraft, sensors, and support-- covering equipment, staffing, logistics and development-- at no cost to the County.”
According to records obtained by CRN/New Times, CCSO dated their version of the Draganfly press release June 17, and likely began distributing it among its media contacts at that time.
Review of media coverage from June through August reflects a fair amount of credulous stenography in both the Arizona and national press. Many print and television “news” outlets dutifully, and perhaps unwittingly, bought into the public relations campaign-- essentially producing infomercials for Draganfly.
Much of this “news” coverage featured slick promotional graphics and videos created by Draganfly, along with interviews and quotes from CCSO captain and SABRE lead, Tim Williams.
For example, according to email records we’ve obtained, Chicago-based News Nation reporter Jeff Arnold contacted Dannels on July 8 to ask about the drone program.
“I wanted to reach out after I received a pitch from a public relations firm about a pilot drone program that you’re doing in Cochise county to help monitor the border,” wrote Arnold. “Is this something that has been happening for a while, or is using drones to assist Border Patrol something that is happening on a larger scale? If it’s relatively new, I’d love to chat with you about how your program is working.”
Emails we’ve obtained show that Dannels put Arnold in touch with Capas and Williams, who made themselves available for interviews and information.
Following his interview with Williams, Arnold submitted a followup question to Williams and Capas, asking how the drone program was being paid for, and what the cost was to the sheriff’s office. Neither Williams or Capas informed the reporter through their written responses to this question that Draganfly had been providing the equipment free of charge in exchange for CCSO’s participation in their media campaign.
While CCSO was shilling for Draganfly, Draganfly and their public relations machinery were singing loud hosannas of CCSO’s praise.
Perhaps shrewdly-- perhaps opportunistically-- on July 23 Williams got into the vendor game himself when he co-founded the private for-profit limited liability company, Spyderweb Technologies. According to Spyderweb materials, the company produces “surveillance solutions” clearly meant for the homeland security and defense marketplace. Williams-- while remaining a CCSO captain and head of SABRE-- serves as Spyderweb’s chief executive officer and is the public face of the company, according to Spyderweb materials.
The CCSO/Draganfly partnership didn’t end with mutual “co-branded announcements” and “media engagements.” Records obtained by CRN/New Times show that a Draganfly representative put Ontario Provincial Police Intelligence Bureau Commander Patrick Morris in touch with Williams in August, so that Morris could learn about CCSO’s use of Draganfly products, and potentially even visit Cochise County for a demonstration. According to emails obtained by CRN/New Times, Morris stated that he had “been provided presentations” on work underway in Cochise County and had also received updates through IACP (as previously discussed, Williams had “cleared” an idea with Chell for a presentation on Draganfly to be given at IACP earlier in the year).
It appeared as if the media blitz and CCSO’s shilling paid off for Draganfly. On August 11, the company issued its second quarter performance report, according to SEC records. In this release, Draganfly claimed a 37-percent increase in sales over the the previous year’s second quarter performance. The company also reported a 9.3-percent increase in gross profit over the same period in the previous year. Among key contributing “operational highlights,” the company again touted its partnership with CCSO, among other factors. And, through the summer and fall, Draganfly announced a number of DoD contracts.
By October 13, Draganfly stock reached its peak performance of 2025, at $13.77 per share-- up from $2.91 per share on March 17, which was three days before the company announced Miller’s placement on its board of directors, according to data compiled by CNN.
It seemed the Canadian drone manufacturer’s efforts to gain inroads to the realm of American defense and homeland security were paying off.
Then came the proverbial cherry on the cake.
The June 9 “Pilot Program” agreement/”memo” also stated that Draganfly and CCSO had “slated a multi-day, in-field demonstration for later 2025” to demonstrate use of their drones on the border.
In October, Draganfly began hyping this event as the grand unveiling of its newest offering, the “Outrider Southern Border Multi-Mission Drone,” which would engage in a “live exercise” right on the border. This was to take place, according to corporate press materials, during the “Cochise County Border Drone Summit”-- hosted in partnership with CCSO November 16 through 17. The “summit” was billed as an exclusive “invitation-only” event, through which “select leaders from law enforcement, defense, and security areas,” as well as invited press, could learn about Outrider’s great utility.
CRN/New Times responded to a press release soliciting media RSVPs for the event. At first, Moore Media International CEO Alvina Alston (the public relations person handling press for the event) enthusiastically welcomed us to the event. Then, a few hours later, Alston rescinded our invitation, stating only that “the reporters guest list has closed.”
In any event, according to Draganfly’s subsequent press release, the event was a smash success-- replete with “federal, state, local, and military stakeholders,” as well as national and local media outlets who “were on site to capture the live exercises, underscoring the growing public and governmental focus on advancing border-security [sic] operations through UAS technology.”
Social media posts made by Draganfly Public Safety Board Chair Goldenberg claimed that nearly a hundred members of law enforcement agencies, from both within and outside of the United States were in attendance.
And, according to Goldenberg social media posts, National Sheriff’s Association Executive Director Justin Smith was also in attendance, along with Howard Buffett. Buffett is the son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett and has given tens of millions of dollars to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office and related entities, largely in relation to “border security” efforts [read here, here, here, and here]. Buffet has enjoyed a close relationship with NSA (having received awards and honorary membership from the group) and has given substantial amounts to a number of sheriffs’ offices and associations.
CRN/New Times asked CCSO PIO Capas if the “Cochise County Border Drone Summit” was a part of the “Backyards to Border Program” and whether any of the agency’s million-dollar 287(g)-related FEMA award [read the first part of “Cochise Cronyism”] was expended in relation to it, or any other Draganfly-related promotional events. Capas did not respond to this question.
Draganfly SEC filings indicate that Draganfly board members are compensated through equity compensation, such as stock options. It is not known whether, to date, Miller has been awarded or exercised any such options. However, it is known that Draganfly’s market share and stock value has increased through the course of the company’s dealings with Dannels and CCSO, according to SEC filings.
CRN/New Times submitted written questions to Draganfly and its CEO Cameron Chell relating to Miller’s compensation. These questions were not answered.
CRN/New Times submitted written questions to Draganfly, CEO Chell, and board member Miller, relating to Miller’s relationship-- if any-- with Dannels, and how that relationship may, or may not, have informed any relationship with CCSO. These questions were not answered.
CRN/New Times submitted written questions to CCSO relating to Dannels’ relationship-- if any-- with Miller, and how that relationship may, or may not, have informed any relationship with Draganfly. These questions were not answered.
CRN/New Times attempted to reach Miller-- through various means, including through Draganfly-- to confirm whether he is the same “Chris Miller (Project 2025 DoD lead)” who met with and advised the Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup throughout 2024. These questions were not answered and requests for contact/comment were not responded to.
Beau Hodai, Cochise Regional News and Phoenix New Times-- January 15, 2026
This article is a continuation of the “Big Takeover” series of investigative reporting, detailing plans created by the Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup and the individuals involved in crafting them. The series is jointly published by Cochise Regional News and Phoenix New Times.
This joint CRN/New Times reporting is part of Phoenix New Times’ Arizona Watchdog Project, which receives support from the Trace Foundation.
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