Yes, drug cartels extensively use drones for various illicit activities, including 

surveillance, smuggling, and increasingly, as weaponized attack drones. The use of drones by criminal organizations in Mexico and Colombia has grown exponentially in recent years. 

Cartel Drone Applications

• Surveillance and Intelligence: Cartels use drones to spy on U.S. Border Patrol agents and Mexican law enforcement, monitor their movements, identify security vulnerabilities, and scout smuggling routes. An estimated 60,000 cartel drone flights were detected just south of the U.S.-Mexico border in a six-month period in late 2024.
• Smuggling: Drones are used as “modern carrier pigeons” to transport illicit goods, such as drugs (including fentanyl and methamphetamine), weapons, cash, and other contraband across the border or into prisons.
• Targeting and Warfare: Cartels have adopted paramilitary tactics, modifying commercial drones to drop bombs, grenades, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on rival groups, police, and soldiers.
  • Attacks on Mexican military and police forces have resulted in deaths and injuries.
  • Some groups, like the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), have specialized “Drone Operators” units.
• Psychological Warfare and Chemical Attacks:Cartels have experimented with loading drones with toxic chemicals, such as aluminum phosphide, to cause mass casualties and terrorize local populations.
• Guiding Smugglers: Drones act as “lookouts” to guide groups of migrants and drug smugglers across the U.S. border, away from law enforcement. 

Evolving Technology and Tactics

Cartels are constantly innovating, drawing inspiration from modern conflict zones like the war in Ukraine. They are now using: 

• First-Person View (FPV) Drones: These high-speed, maneuverable drones, often used for one-way attack missions (kamikaze drones), can deliver explosive payloads with precision.
• Advanced Features: Cartels are exploring the use of fiber optic tethers for jam-resistant operations and artificial intelligence for target locking.
• Countermeasures: In their internal arms race, cartels have even fitted armored “narco-tanks” and SUVs with protective “cope cages” to defend against rival drone attacks. 

U.S. and Mexican authorities are working to develop effective counter-drone systems and strategies to address this evolving threat to national security.