MEXICO CITY: Mexican cartels are reportedly using commercial and modified drones to monitor U.S. security personnel, map patrol routines, and facilitate smuggling operations along the southern border, as authorities enhance efforts to counter these aircraft.
The U.S. military recorded 378 drone incursions along the border in the past 30 days, according to Brig. Gen. Brian Filler of Joint Task Force-Southern Border. He noted that this trend is on the rise, with the drones typically being commercial models equipped with cameras for surveillance related 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,” said Austin Doctor, who 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.
A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed the escalating threat, stating, “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. U.S. 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 that most cartels and their associates still rely on commercially available drones, though more sophisticated models, including larger agricultural drones, are emerging. He noted, “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 primary roles for drones at the border, with weaponized use more frequently documented within 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 indicated that NCITE research identified the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, as a significant driver of drone innovation and adoption within the Mexican cartel ecosystem, although drone use has proliferated among various cartels across Mexican states.
A 2025 seizure in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, exemplifies how border regions can support these programs. Mexico’s security cabinet reported that 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 specify a cartel. Doctor stated that the safehouse was linked to the Los Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel.
Weaponized drones have also been reported in a Mexican border city. In October 2025, Baja California’s prosecutor stated that a drone dropped homemade explosive devices at an anti-kidnapping prosecutor’s office in Tijuana, damaging four vehicles but causing no injuries. Authorities described this incident as criminal retaliation but did not publicly identify a cartel.
Doctor noted that Tijuana is an exception to the pattern of attacks occurring further inside Mexico. He stated that border regions remain “critical facilitation hubs,” and the risk of increased kinetic attacks there is credible.
Mexico is responding with interdictions, counter-drone equipment, military operations, and new criminal penalties. During last month's Águila Alta operation in the Tijuana-San Diego area, the defense ministry reported that Mexican forces neutralized five drones, detained one individual, and seized a firearm, magazines, and ammunition.
One aircraft was initially detected in the U.S. and later neutralized in Mexico following information-sharing with Customs and Border Protection. Officials stated that the operation deterred criminal activity and improved coordination but did not provide data indicating whether drone traffic subsequently declined.
In 2024, Mexico classified certain drone-related conduct as a federal crime, including dropping explosives, modifying aircraft to carry weapons or drugs, and surveilling public officials.
Earlier this month, Mexico deployed 500 soldiers and National Guard members, two helicopters, drones, and mobile and fixed counter-drone systems in five municipalities in Tamaulipas. The Navy separately reported 159 personnel, 11 vehicles, and two drones under Operation Sable.
In response to inquiries from Fox News Digital, a Department of War spokesperson stated that Joint Task Force-Southern Border, CBP, and the Department of Homeland Security utilize layered monitoring and detection systems to “observe, evaluate, and, if needed, engage threats.”
What remains unclear is the number of cartel-operated drones, which groups control individual flights, and whether Mexico’s countermeasures are yielding results.
Doctor emphasized that while increased counter-drone resources are essential, “it is almost certain that cartels will continue to innovate and adapt.”