Officials: US drones play crucial role in drug cartel crackdown

The US and Mexican officials have announced that the US is secretly using unarmed drones stationed at Mexican airfields to monitor drug cartels, leading to high-profile arrests, including Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, one of his sons, and other drug lords.

Operated by the Department of Homeland Security and the CIA at the Mexican military's request, the drones have also aided in major drug seizures, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

These drones, including MQ-9 Reapers, are equipped with advanced cameras that can capture license plates from 20,000 feet, allowing them to track cartel movements and map illegal drug labs.

Mexico’s Defense Minister, Gen. Ricardo Trevilla, confirmed that US drone intelligence helped capture Iván Archibaldo Guzmán’s security chief and contributed to the arrests of "El Chapo" in 2013 and 2016, as well as his son Ovidio in 2023. While US officials declined to comment, the operation has drawn increasing public scrutiny in Mexico, with concerns about transparency amid growing nationalist sentiment. 

The drone programme, a key part of US-Mexico security cooperation, has been ongoing for years, with the intelligence gathered being instrumental in dismantling the Sinaloa Cartel and other major trafficking organisations. Despite some domestic opposition, the programme remains crucial in combating fentanyl smuggling and weakening the cartels' hold in Mexico.

By Naila Huseynova