While much attention is given to Ukraine and Russia’s use of drones, just south of the United States, Mexico’s cartels are using drones in significant numbers, some of which surveil the United States and move drugs and cash across the border. They are also used to attack Mexican government and army organizations and competing cartels.
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According to one source, in 2025 the cartels flew more than 42,000 drones near the U.S. border. Around 1,000 drones each day try to cross the U.S. border, and most are not intercepted.
Most of the drones used by the cartels are Chinese, and a large number have been modified either to carry explosives or drugs. The major source is the Chinese company DJI (Da Jiang Innovations), based in Shenzhen. It is the world’s biggest producer of drones, holding more than 80 percent of the world’s market. DJI is partly state-owned. The company has been designated as a “Chinese Military Company” and sanctioned by the United States government. DJI has challenged the sanctions on the grounds that it is not a military company but a commercial entity. Some DJI drones are blocked from entry to the United States, and the U.S. government has also blocked the use of DJI drones for government work.
DJI is the major supplier to Russia and Ukraine, especially drone parts instead of airframes. Until 2023, Ukraine was openly buying DJI drones, but this has since shifted as Ukraine now manufactures its own drones but buys copious components from Chinese cutout companies that get their parts in Shenzhen, mainly from DJI and its suppliers. This allows China to claim that DJI does not support either Ukraine or Russia. The company also says it does not sell military drones, only commercial products.
Mexico’s two most dominant criminal organizations, the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel, are the primary groups pioneering and expanding the use of drone technology. Smaller regional factions, such as remnants of the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas, also heavily deploy them across key trafficking corridors like the U.S. southern border and the state of Tamaulipas.
Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación is the pioneer of drone warfare in Mexico. This cartel maintains workshops where it modifies commercial drones to carry explosives, turning the drones into loitering munitions. They have used them against the Mexican army and government structures and, recently, to bomb the prosecutor’s office in Tijuana. The Sinaloa Cartel continuously scouts U.S. Border Patrol positions, traces safe pathways for migrants, and transports lightweight, high-value narcotics like fentanyl across the border.
The U.S. actively tries to counter Mexican drones, reportedly coordinating efforts with the Mexican government and Mexican military. According to the most recent report, the U.S. was able to knock out around 100 cartel drones this past August, or around 10 percent of the drones crossing or about to cross the U.S. southern border. The U.S. has not been forthcoming about the counter-drone weapons deployed, but the U.S. Army has said that one of the weapons used is the AMP-HEL “Locust” X3 laser mounted on a vehicle. The Locust operates in the 20–35+ kW range, similar to Israel’s Iron Beam M (which is in the 30 to 50 kW power range) and is also mounted on a vehicle or deployed at border outposts. While Locust is deployed (in small numbers) on the border, it is not used to protect other U.S. military bases, at least not yet.
The U.S. may also be using other means to knock out cartel drones, including electronic jammers. It is not known if the cartels are working to make their drones more jammer-proof, but given their access to drone components and platforms, it is a good guess they are adapting some more commonly available tools to counteract jammers.
Cartels typically use two types of drones. Models like the DJI Mavic series (such as the Mavic 3, which costs around $2,000) serve as the everyday backbone for basic reconnaissance, border surveillance, and spotting. They are favored for their reliability, high-resolution optics, and long battery life.
Cartels also use first-person-view (FPV) racing drones that are small, highly maneuverable FPV platforms—including commercial models like the DJI Avata 2 (costing around $400) and custom-built 7-inch frame drones (such as the Tarot Mark4, costing under $50)—that are increasingly used for high-speed, one-way kamikaze attacks.
For heavier payloads, the cartels use more expensive agricultural drones. These can carry large improvised explosive charges or be used for bulk cross-border smuggling. This includes large agricultural spraying platforms like the DJI Agras series (e.g., T40/T50, costing $28,000 to $39,000) and transport-oriented workhorses like the DJI FlyCart 30 (capable of carrying substantial weights over long ranges, costing $15,000 to $25,000).
Cartel members have been sent to Ukraine and the Middle East for training on drones and how to use them in combat and spying operations. The cartels, awash in money, also recruit technically savvy young people in Mexico and elsewhere.
Given the size of cartel drone forces and the currently limited ability of the United States, let alone the Mexican government, to impact their operations, we can expect the cartel drone threat to continue to grow and undermine border control while also subverting the Mexican government (to the degree that is still necessary). Mexico has said that it cannot use jammers effectively on its territory because the jammers blank out commercial communications and aviation. Otherwise, Mexico is trying to shut down shops that modify drones and disrupt supplies flowing into Mexico. There isn’t much concrete information on how successful such efforts are, but the presence of tens of thousands of cartel drones suggests the Mexican government’s efforts are not yet successful.
Today, the U.S. is mostly unprotected when it comes to drones over U.S. territory. Drones have challenged security at vital U.S. bases and sensitive government installations. The U.S. government has not said where these drones are coming from or who the operators are. While Europe is claiming possible drone attacks on NATO-sensitive targets that NATO and EU sources attribute to Russia, the U.S. mainland is also an easy target for our adversaries, who can operate from offshore or across U.S. borders.
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