Agency Uses Drones to Track Down Cartels and Drug Labs in Mexico

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been flying unarmed MQ-9 Reaper drones over Mexico to locate cartel operations and fentanyl labs, according to a senior U.S. official. The program, which has spanned multiple administrations, is conducted in coordination with the Mexican government.

Despite comparisons to past U.S. drone operations elsewhere, a U.S. official was quick to clarify, "This is not the Pakistan model." In other words, these drones are strictly for surveillance—no airstrikes, no targeted eliminations, just intelligence gathering. The idea is simple: locate the problem, hand over the information, and hope Mexican authorities take it from there.

"Mexico has been the champion of methamphetamine production, and now fentanyl,” stated Felipe de Jesús Gallo, head of Mexico’s Criminal Investigation Agency. Mexican cartels import precursor chemicals from China and India, manufacture fentanyl, and smuggle it into the U.S., where it is responsible for around 70,000 overdose deaths per year.

Gallo also noted that drug labs are no longer confined to remote mountain hideouts. Instead, urban and industrial-scale facilities are popping up in Hidalgo, Puebla, and Jalisco. The cartels, ever adaptable, have moved beyond their traditional strongholds and are expanding their global reach. Mexican meth now travels as far as Hong Kong and Australia under sophisticated money laundering networks.

Sniffing out these labs, however, has proven to be a challenge. Luckily, the struggle has created the perfect opportunity to showcase the MQ-9 Reaper’s surveillance capabilities.

With a wingspan of 66 feet and a flight endurance of over 27 hours, the drone can monitor vast areas without refueling. The Reaper can detect small-scale fentanyl labs hidden in urban areas and track cartel movements across the countryside using high-res cameras, infrared sensors, and radar. All of this can be done without cartels noticing since the aircraft can operate from 50,000 ft up.

FMI: www.cia.gov