MEXICO CITY: Mexican cartels are said to be using commercial and modified drones to watch U.S. security personnel, map patrol routines and support smuggling corridors along the southern border as authorities expand efforts to disable the aircraft. The U.S. military detected 378 drone incursions along the border during the previous 30 days, Brig. Brian Filler of Joint Task Force-Southern Border recently told reporters.
He said the trend was increasing, and the aircraft were typically commercial drones with cameras used for surveillance tied to smuggling and human trafficking. "On the border, the most common application is surveillance and reconnaissance as cartels look to establish a pattern of life for U.S. security personnel and support smuggling outcomes across the border," Austin Doctor told Fox News Digital. Doctor directs strategic initiatives at the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education Center and teaches criminology and criminal justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
US MILITARY LAUNCHES FIRST AUTONOMOUS WARFARE COMMAND TO DEPLOY UNMANNED SYSTEMS ACROSS LATIN AMERICA A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson confirmed the growing threat, telling Fox News Digital that "Rapidly advancing Unmanned Aircraft System technology presents persistent threats, including counter-surveillance, illicit cargo movement, and potential kinetic attacks. Cartels increasingly exploit UAS for surveillance, illicit activities, monitoring law enforcement, scouting crossing points and coordinating smuggling operations.
CBP detected over 42,000 near-border UAS flights in FY25 and over 37,000 in FY26, underscoring the scale of this challenge." The spokesperson added that "Under congressional authority (6 USC 124n), the Department of Homeland Security has approved Counter-UAS authorities for CBP. Border Patrol C-UAS operations, with DHS Secretary approval, cover the entire Southwest border and areas extending 100 miles inland for detection, identification, monitoring, and tracking of UASs. USBP C-UAS operates in all Southwest border sectors to detect, track, and mitigate these threats." Doctor explained how the cartels are using drones.
"Most cartels and cartel associates still rely on commercial-off-the-shelf drones," he said. More sophisticated aircraft are emerging, however, including "larger agricultural drone devices." He added, "Cartels continue to innovate their drone designs, often focused on increasing payload sizes, improving resistance to countermeasures and boosting operational capabilities." He identified surveillance and logistics as the dominant border roles, with weaponized use more frequently documented inside Mexico. "Cartels and cartel affiliates use drones for a wide range of tactics and operations… That includes kinetic attacks on rival factions, civilians in Mexico and local security forces." Doctor said NCITE research identified the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, as "a key driver of drone innovation and adoption within the Mexico cartel ecosystem," although drone use has spread among cartels and across Mexican states.
FBI WARNS BATTLEFIELD-STYLE DRONE ATTACKS COULD REACH US: 'ONLY A MATTER OF TIME' A 2025 seizure in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, shows how border regions can support those programs. Mexico’s security cabinet said soldiers and state police detained a man and seized 18 drones, 151 explosive objects, two improvised explosive devices a drone detector and three counter-drone devices. The official announcement did not identify a cartel.
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