A Brampton, Ont., man has been deported from the United States after pleading guilty to using a drone to photograph restricted military and space facilities in Florida.
Court documents show that Xiao Guang Pan was arrested in Orlando on January 7, 2025, after NASA detected drone activity near Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS). Officers with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office found him operating a DJI Mavic Pro 3 drone, a high-resolution model capable of capturing 4K video.
Hundreds of restricted images
Investigators later determined that Pan flew his drone on nine separate occasions over three days, taking nearly 1,900 photos and videos, including images of launch complexes, a submarine wharf, and munitions bunkers. While Pan told federal agents he was only photographing sunrises, nature, and nearby cruise ships, investigators found Google Maps screenshots of Cape Canaveral on his phone, as well as flight logs showing repeated alerts about restricted airspace.
On August 12, Pan pleaded guilty to three counts of using an aircraft to unlawfully photograph a defense installation. He was sentenced to 12 months of unsupervised probation on the condition that he return to Canada and never re-enter the United States. He was also ordered to pay a US$75 assessment fee.
The case drew in multiple agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, NASA, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Back in Canada
Pan entered the U.S. in November 2024 via the Windsor-Detroit crossing. Since his deportation, he has returned to his permanent address in Brampton. His Instagram account, showcasing aerial drone photography from Canada and abroad, features posts from Texas and Orlando late last year.
A short biography on the Brampton Arts Organization (BAO) website describes Pan, born in China in 1953, as a retired Best Buy employee and “enthusiastic drone photographer/videographer” who has exhibited his work internationally. BAO confirmed his photography was part of the city’s PIXEL: Chapter 50 exhibition in 2023 but said it has had no further contact with him.
The RCMP, when asked if Canadian authorities were conducting their own probe, said it does not comment on ongoing or foreign investigations. “The RCMP maintains situational awareness of potential threats to the safety and security of Canada and works closely with our law enforcement partners to address them,” spokesperson Robin Percival said.
Drone activity near sensitive sites has fueled growing anxiety in the U.S. over the past year. In December, unexplained drone sightings in New Jersey sparked alarm before the White House clarified they were authorized research flights.