Since February 2022, CBP has detected 155,000 cartel-operated drones surveilling U.S.–Mexico border operations and smuggling narcotics, prompting major technological and policy responses.
Since February 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has recorded more than 155,000 unauthorized drone incursions along the U.S.–Mexico border, marking an unprecedented escalation in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles by criminal organizations. These drones have been deployed both to monitor Border Patrol deployments and to facilitate the smuggling of narcotics into the United States, creating a significant operational and safety challenge for agents tasked with securing roughly 2,000 miles of international boundary.
Gloria I. Chávez, chief of the Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley Sector, disclosed the magnitude of this aerial threat during a virtual press conference. “Since February 2022, we have documented 155,000 drone overflights across our sector alone,” she stated. “These drones, operated by transnational criminal organizations, conduct surveillance on our movements and even attempt to carry contraband into our territory. Their persistence and sophistication pose a grave danger to both our personnel and the integrity of our border security operations.”
Chávez emphasized that the proliferation of drones has forced her to reallocate critical personnel. “I have a minimum number of officers—almost 20 percent—dedicated to administrative processes related to drone detection and incident reporting,” she explained. “The remaining 80 percent remain focused on patrols, but they now contend with the constant threat of drones flying overhead, mapping our positions in real time.”
The danger is not merely hypothetical. In 2023, the Rio Grande Valley Sector recovered a drone carrying seven pounds of cocaine that had been rigged with a small payload release mechanism. According to Chávez, the drone approached the border under cover of darkness, dropped its illicit cargo on the U.S. side, and retreated before agents could intercept it. “That incident underscored how cartels are integrating drone technology into their smuggling tactics,” she said. “They see it as a low-risk, high-reward method to bypass checkpoints and avoid human couriers.”
Chávez’s observations echo patterns first observed in the El Paso Sector between 2019 and 2022, when she served as its chief. During that period, cartel operatives used drones to drop packages of cocaine and methamphetamine into the Ciudad Juárez–El Paso corridor. “We saw a shift from manned mules to aerial drops—drones could carry two to five pounds per flight, then return across the border before we even knew who was behind the controls,” she recalled.
Cartels exploit gaps in coverage created by either rugged terrain or stretched resources to launch drones from safe standoff distances. Once aloft, their miniature cameras feed live video to controllers miles away, allowing precise targeting of drop zones. “They’re leveraging commercial off-the-shelf drones with extended-range modifications—some modified to fly 10 miles out,” Chávez noted. “Their adaptability and resourcefulness require us to stay several steps ahead, technologically and tactically.”
In response, CBP has accelerated its investment in counter-drone technology. The agency is deploying radar systems capable of detecting small, low-altitude objects and experimenting with radio-frequency jamming equipment to deny cartels the ability to control their drones near sensitive areas. “We’re piloting several solutions—mobile detection towers, lidar systems, and even interceptor drones that can collide with or capture rogue UAVs,” said Chávez. “Our goal is to achieve persistent awareness of drone traffic and to interdict or neutralize them before they can complete surveillance or smuggling missions.”
The surge in drone activity has also reignited debate over regulatory frameworks for unmanned aircraft. Current federal regulations require all drones to be registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and to operate within designated airspace parameters. Cartels, of course, flagrantly disregard these rules. CBP is coordinating with the FAA and the Department of Homeland Security’s Counter-UAS Office to streamline information sharing and to develop emergency protocols for jamming or seizing drones that violate U.S. sovereignty.
Geospatial analyses of cartel territories as of late 2024 indicate the Northeast Cartel and elements of the Gulf Cartel are particularly active in the Rio Grande Valley and surrounding regions. While Chávez declined to name specific organizations during the press conference, she acknowledged that different cartels employ drones with varying levels of sophistication. “Some groups operate small, commercially available quadcopters, while others have invested in long-range fixed-wing drones capable of carrying 10 or more pounds of payload,” she explained.
Those latter capabilities raise the stakes considerably. A single long-range drone could deliver tens of pounds of narcotics in one flight, potentially evading ground patrols altogether. Moreover, aerial surveillance provides cartels with real-time intelligence on Border Patrol vehicle routes, checkpoints, and staffing patterns, enabling them to select low-risk crossing points for human smuggling and drug drops alike.
Chávez underscored the human safety dimension of cartel drone operations: fallen rotor blades and low-flying UAVs pose direct physical hazards to agents and migrants. “We’ve had reports of drones flying as low as 50 feet, sometimes hovering over agents in remote areas,” she said. “An inadvertent collision could cause serious injury or worse. Beyond that, drones recording our positions compromise operational security and endanger our ability to respond effectively to other threats.”
To mitigate these dangers, CBP has implemented specialized drone detection and interdiction teams within its sectors. These teams receive training in counter-drone tactics, including visual identification of UAV models, coordination with aviation authorities, and rapid deployment of jamming or net-based capture devices. In addition, CBP has launched an outreach program to educate local ranchers, law enforcement partners, and private landowners on how to report suspicious drone activity.
While technological solutions are critical, Chávez stressed that the broader fight against cartel drone incursions will require international cooperation. “We’re working closely with our Mexican counterparts—both military and law enforcement—to address drone launches on their side of the border,” she said. “Shared intelligence, coordinated patrols, and joint investigations are essential. Cartels operate seamlessly across our international boundary; we must respond in kind.”
On the policy front, the Trump administration’s decision to tighten enforcement measures on the northeastern U.S. border was partly driven by the rise of cartel drone operations. Those policy changes included expanding authorities for CBP to employ non-kinetic counter-UAS measures and accelerating deployment of surveillance technology along high-traffic corridors. While those provisions were initially directed at the northern border, they have proven instructive for operations along the southwest frontier.
Funding for counter-drone research has increased substantially in recent Congressional appropriations. The Department of Homeland Security’s budget request for fiscal year 2025 asked for over $200 million dedicated to unmanned aircraft system defenses, reflecting the agency’s assessment that drone incursions represent one of the fastest-growing threats to border security. CBP’s technology acquisitions office has used that funding to fast-track contracts with multiple private vendors offering radar, signal-intelligence, and drone-capture solutions.
Yet financial investment alone cannot close the gap. CBP leaders emphasize that personnel, training, and interagency coordination are equally vital. “Technology can alert us to a drone’s presence, but agents on the ground must know how to respond safely and effectively,” Chávez said. “That means scenario-based training, up-to-date rules of engagement, and tight communication with supporting aerial surveillance assets.”
Meanwhile, cartels continue to innovate. Recent open-source intelligence reports indicate the emergence of swarming tactics, in which groups of small drones operate in concert to confuse detection systems and saturate counter-UAS measures. Other cartels are exploring the use of commercial satellite imagery to refine their launch and drop-zone planning. “We have to be ready for their next move,” Chávez warned. “As they adapt, so must we.”
The operational impact of cartel drone activity extends beyond narcotics smuggling. Human traffickers are adopting UAVs to scout remote crossing points in sparsely populated stretches of the Rio Grande—areas where patrol presence is thin and response times are slow. By flying reconnaissance missions ahead of migrant caravans, traffickers can circumvent checkpoints and identify routes where ground sensors are offline or limited.
Chávez noted that despite the challenges, Border Patrol remains committed to its core mission of safeguarding the nation. “Our agents demonstrate tremendous dedication every day, patrolling rugged terrain, responding to apprehensions, and now countering drone threats,” she said. “We owe them the tools, training, and legal authorities necessary to confront these evolving tactics.”
As cartel drone incursions show no sign of abating, CBP is exploring future investments such as networked drone-detection sensors, artificial-intelligence-driven flight-path prediction models, and compact interceptor drones capable of neutralizing threats in populated areas without collateral damage. Each of these initiatives faces practical and regulatory hurdles, but the agency’s leaders insist that innovation is essential to maintaining the integrity of the U.S.–Mexico border.
In the coming months, the Rio Grande Valley Sector will expand its drone-detection footprint and host joint exercises with Mexican forces to rehearse cross-border interdiction scenarios. “We must speak the same technical language and operate under mutually agreed protocols,” Chávez concluded. “Cartels exploit any gap in coordination. By tightening our collaboration and leveraging advanced technologies, we will deny them the aerial advantage and protect our officers and communities.”
The rising wave of cartel-operated drones underscores a new frontier in the enduring struggle to secure the U.S.–Mexico border. With over 155,000 incursions logged in just three years, the challenge is clear: combining innovation, interagency cooperation, and international partnership to stay ahead of criminal organizations that view the sky above the border as their next battleground.
