Mexican Cartel Attacks Competitors with Drones

Mexican cartels are ramping up their use of small strike drones, while the United States warns of the potential unilateral deployment of troops to combat drug trafficking.

Local media have released details of the incident, along with footage showing drones in action from the operator’s console.

A drone operator from the Mexican cartel El Tena targeted a vehicle carrying fighters from the rival CJNG cartel near the town of Chinicuila in the western state of Michoacán, Mexico.

The converted civilian drone suddenly dropped a homemade free-fall bomb on the opponents. The bomb was dropped accurately from a fairly high altitude, which demonstrates the operator’s skill.

This is not the first time drones have been used in cartel warfare, but in recent years, their activity in hostilities has only increased, and their scope of use has expanded. Drones are used for reconnaissance, drug transportation, bomb drops, or as kamikaze drones.

It is reported that there is a separate unit within the combat wing of the aforementioned CJNG cartel that specializes in the use of drones.

The Border Report, a special edition focused on events along the US-Mexico border, highlights that cartels are increasingly using drones on a daily basis to monitor the movements of US Border Patrol agents near the border wall.

The practice was first uncovered last September when Mexican authorities, acting on a tip from U.S. officials, arrested two drone operators near the border wall in Juarez, Mexico.

“We encounter drones every day. The cartels are using them to track the movements of authorities and figure out how to control access points,” said Walter N. Slosar, the newly appointed Interim Chief Patrol Agent for the El Paso Sector.

Last month, Mexican cartels used a drone with explosives against Mexican National Guard troops in southern Chihuahua. It is also reported that cartels have used drones to bomb competitors in the states of Michoacán and Guerrero.

The situation has also escalated on the border with the United States, where Mexican cartel militants fired on a U.S. Border Patrol patrol in late January.

In response, Pete Hegseth, the newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Defense, warned Mexican leaders during a conversation that military action could be considered if the government failed to take stronger measures against the drug cartels.

The United States has already deployed over 500 Marines to assist Border Patrol agents to bolster border security. Thousands of U.S. troops have recently been ordered to redeploy and position themselves along the southern border with Mexico to enhance protection efforts.