Smugglers now using giant slingshots to launch contraband across Pak-Afghan border

In what sounds more like a scene from a survival movie than real life, smugglers along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border are reportedly using giant handmade slingshots to launch contraband across difficult terrain.

Yes — actual oversized slingshots.

According to reports from remote border regions, smugglers have developed surprisingly simple but effective low-tech systems to move small, high-value packets without physically crossing the border themselves.

The setup reportedly involves massive makeshift slingshot structures built using fixed poles, industrial ropes and heavy elastic lines stretched across rough terrain.

Multiple people work together to pull the system back with force, building enough tension to hurl compact packets across trenches, fences and deep natural barriers separating the two countries.

Once released, the package is literally catapulted through the air to waiting handlers on the other side.

The bizarre method is reportedly designed to avoid direct exposure near border crossings and reduce the risk of interception by security forces. The rugged terrain itself plays a huge role.

Dry landscapes, uneven elevations and deep ditches make physical movement difficult and highly visible, so smugglers instead rely on timing, coordination and brute force rather than advanced technology.

Security observers say the method may look primitive, but it is surprisingly practical in areas where surveillance coverage remains limited and geography creates natural blind spots.

The internet, meanwhile, is stunned that smugglers have apparently entered their “medieval warfare era.”

Social media users joked that the operation looked like “Angry Birds: Border Edition,” while others compared the system to ancient catapults and homemade war machines.

Despite the memes, officials and analysts say such improvised methods highlight how smuggling networks continue adapting rapidly using whatever tools the environment allows.