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Cartels flew drones 60,000 times along US border in six-month period
https://www.newsnationnow.com- ^ | July 24, 2025 | Julian Resendiz

Posted on 07/25/2025 7:43:24 PM PDT by Beowulf9

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Testifying this week before the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, Willoughby said federal authorities since the start of July to the end of December 2024 detected 60,000 such drone flights just south of the border and 27,000 unique remote-controlled craft doing the flying.

Most of those drones are going up at night or flying at altitudes that are restricted in both Mexico and the United States. That’s 400 feet high in the U.S. and 120 meters in Mexico. That’s enough to give Mexican drone operators a clear view of U.S. Border Patrol agents’ location and movement, send migrants north in a different direction or find places to drop drugs for later pickup.

Willoughby reminded senators how drug cartels have attacked each other – and in some cases Mexican authorities – south of the border with explosives dropped from drones.

Last January, members of transnational criminal organizations attacked a column of Mexican soldiers and police officers in the northern border state of Chihuahua, wounding two public servants.

1 posted on 07/25/2025 7:43:24 PM PDT by Beowulf9
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To: Beowulf9

How far into the USA do they fly the drones to drop drugs?


2 posted on 07/25/2025 7:47:29 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

And why don’t we try to shoot them down?!


3 posted on 07/25/2025 7:50:54 PM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: Beowulf9
10,000 flights by cartels PER MONTH!

We need serious drone defense on the border. I hope the OBBB includes billions for anti-drone systems. Here's a Grok summary of how to defend against drones. I'd be surprised if Secretaries Hegseth and Noem are not aggressively working this problem.


4 posted on 07/25/2025 7:57:56 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: No name given
“And why don't we try to shoot them down?!”

We need to use this as an opportunity to test every anti-drone device we are developing.

5 posted on 07/25/2025 7:58:36 PM PDT by jeffersondem
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

1) As far as they need to.

2) This is sort of like carrier pigeons that carried messages in WWI back and forth across enemy borders. Also known as homing pigeons.

3) Amazing fact.
“Certain police departments in India in remote areas still utilize homing pigeons to maintain contact in case of communication disruptions during natural disasters.”


6 posted on 07/25/2025 8:01:03 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: Beowulf9

60,000 drone flights....

Drones from the cartel do not qualify for frequent flyer miles or points.


7 posted on 07/25/2025 8:02:13 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: Beowulf9

Time to get serious about an airspace denial system for drones at the border.


8 posted on 07/25/2025 8:05:56 PM PDT by VTenigma (Conspiracy theory is the new "spoiler alert")
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To: Beowulf9
This is certainly something to take up at the next meeting.


9 posted on 07/25/2025 8:05:58 PM PDT by x
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To: frank ballenger

“As far as they need to.”

Rotary wing drones are generally limited to 4-5 miles.
Fixed-wing carry much heavier payloads and have much longer ranges.

I imagine the cartels consider the drones to be disposable.


10 posted on 07/25/2025 8:08:30 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

Interesting facts.


11 posted on 07/25/2025 8:10:55 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: jeffersondem

**We need to use this as an opportunity to test every anti-drone device we are developing.**

That would be like military doctors getting their war-zone training in Chicago.


12 posted on 07/25/2025 8:17:09 PM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: Beowulf9

Guarantee US Northern Command has a solution. Part of that solution is diplomatic. Part of it ain’t.


13 posted on 07/25/2025 8:44:10 PM PDT by Salvavida
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To: frank ballenger

They’re flying drones in Oregon, so I imagine they’re doing it all over the US. Not just the border:
Overview of Drone Use by Drug Cartels
Drug cartels are increasingly using drones to smuggle drugs across the U.S. southern border. This method has become popular due to the drones’ low cost and ease of operation.

Types of Drones Used
TYPE OF DRONE COST RANGE PAYLOAD CAPACITY
Consumer Quadcopters $200 - $500 Up to 7 pounds
Advanced Drones $5,000+ Up to 35 pounds
Smuggling Operations

Drones can carry small bundles of drugs, making them difficult to detect.
Cartels have adapted to use drones for both surveillance and transporting drugs, often launching them from Mexico.
The U.S. Border Patrol has reported an increase in drone sightings, indicating a growing trend in aerial smuggling.
Challenges in Detection
Current U.S. border technology struggles to detect and intercept these drones.
Border Patrol agents have expressed frustration over the lack of resources to combat this new smuggling method.
There are calls for improved drone detection technology and policies to address this issue effectively.
The use of drones by drug cartels represents a significant challenge for U.S. border security, necessitating new strategies and technologies to counteract this evolving threat.

It’s a damn WAR.


14 posted on 07/25/2025 8:56:19 PM PDT by doc maverick
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To: doc maverick

What a post. You know so much about the details of the situation I hope it isn’t your family business. Just kidding.


15 posted on 07/25/2025 9:01:40 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: DIRTYSECRET

Too dangerous. Pentagon ruled it out.


16 posted on 07/25/2025 9:02:46 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: frank ballenger

LOL!
Where I live, the only one around is the county sheriff and we pretty much have to take care of ourselves.
Not much gets past us….
You’ll never hear the crap news talk about any of it either.


17 posted on 07/25/2025 9:23:30 PM PDT by doc maverick
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To: Beowulf9

Sounds like excellent target practice.


18 posted on 07/25/2025 10:43:10 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: Beowulf9

I live near the border.

For years I observed aerostats aloft every night. You can tell when there is overcast and the aerostat is below the clouds. Also you can see the linear shape of the balloon.

I remember when they were marketing these to the government 30 years ago. Aerostats can see everything all the way over the border including small UAVs using radar, IR, visual, and other sensors.

I can’t see any now. Gone.

Were they moved to new mooring locations or eliminated? Did someone get some cartel silver for this action?

I am suspicious.


19 posted on 07/25/2025 11:21:25 PM PDT by darth
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To: No name given
And why don’t we try to shoot them down?!
Possibly because the report quotes 2024. Hopefully from Jan 2025 the rules of engagement changed/will change.
20 posted on 07/25/2025 11:55:26 PM PDT by Mr Radical (In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.)
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