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The United States military has shot down more than 300 drones linked to drug cartels along the Mexican border since the start of 2026.
US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), which oversees military operations across the United States and neighbouring countries, said the drones were connected to the drug trade but did not identify any particular cartel on Friday.
The command said about 100 drones were brought down in August alone, although it did not specify whether the incidents occurred on the US or Mexican side of the border.
Credit: Reuters
According to the US military, the drones were used by “transnational criminal organisations” to facilitate illegal cross-border activities, including smuggling and monitoring law-enforcement and military personnel.
Mexico’s Defence Secretary Ricardo Trevilla, however, said the drones were used mainly by migrant smugglers to identify stretches of the border “where there is no authority present.”
Cartels have also deployed drones in attacks against rival groups and government forces.
According to AFP, in October last year, an explosive-carrying drone targeted the prosecutor’s office in Tijuana, a Mexican city near the US border.
The attack damaged the building but caused no injuries or deaths.
