Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched a new investigation into a drone distributor with ties to a company already facing legal action from the state over alleged connections to the Chinese Communist Party.
Paxton announced that his office has issued a Civil Investigative Demand to Drone Nerds, a Florida-based retailer, as part of a probe into its relationship with Anzu Robotics and the sale of drones in Texas. The move comes just months after Paxton filed a lawsuit against Anzu, accusing the company of deceptively marketing its products as a secure American alternative while allegedly relying on technology from Chinese manufacturer DJI.
According to the attorney general’s office, the investigation is focused on whether Drone Nerds has continued to market or distribute Anzu products in Texas and whether those products pose potential risks to consumers’ data security.
“Companies attempting to skirt Texas law by routing products through third parties will be held accountable,” Paxton said in a statement. “My office will aggressively pursue entities that put Texans’ sensitive data at risk and may be acting as conduits for foreign adversaries.”
In a lawsuit filed in February, state attorneys alleged that Anzu’s drones were effectively rebranded versions of DJI products, using similar hardware, firmware, and software while being marketed as independent from Chinese influence. The filing argued that those representations were misleading and could expose users to surveillance risks or supply-chain vulnerabilities tied to the Chinese Communist Party.
Paxton previously described Anzu’s products as a “21st century trojan horse linked to the CCP” and sought civil penalties, consumer restitution, and court orders requiring the company to disclose its ties and halt allegedly deceptive practices.
Drone Nerds did not respond to a request for comment as of publication.
The investigation is part of a broader push by Texas officials to restrict technologies with potential ties to the Chinese government. Earlier this year, Paxton filed a separate lawsuit against home electronics company TP-Link, alleging its devices posed risks to Americans’ home networks.
