Mexico Defense Chief Sounds Alarm Over Cartel Drone Surge

(MENAFN) Mexico’s defense secretary has warned that cartels’ expanding use of drones is a national concern, as authorities scramble to counter a threat spreading well beyond the northern border region.

Ricardo Trevilla Trejo spoke Tuesday after reports that Mexican cartel members are fighting as mercenaries in Ukraine to learn drone warfare tactics.

“Yes, they concern us across the country. That is why since last year, we have purchased many fixed and mobile anti-drone systems. We also have them along the entire border and we conduct operations in coordination with the United States,” Trejo said.

The military reported seizing 15 fiber optic drones in the northwestern state of Sinaloa on Oct. 4 and 11. The technology is widely used in the Russia-Ukraine war. Sinaloa sits at the heart of Mexico’s newest cartel war, which broke out after the Sinaloa Cartel split into two rival factions battling for territorial control.

Trejo said authorities have yet to identify which criminal groups are using the technology, adding that its use is not confined to the north.

In August, drone attacks by criminal groups forced residents of the small community of Los Bayados, in Guerrero state, to flee their homes.

“We believe that … they make extensive use of commercial drones, which they later modify to attack rival groups and in many cases authorities as well. However, these are not highly sophisticated drones,” Trejo added.

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