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Posted on 07/25/2025 7:43:24 PM PDT by Beowulf9
EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – An average of 328 Mexican drones are coming within 500 meters of the U.S. border every day, raising concerns about the safety of border agents and whether dangerous drugs are coming into the country undetected.
“Nearly every day transnational criminal organizations use drones to convey illicit narcotics and contraband across U.S. borders and to conduct hostile surveillance of law enforcement,” said Steven Willoughby, deputy director of the Department of Homeland Security’s counter-drone program.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsnationnow.com ...
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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.
How far into the USA do they fly the drones to drop drugs?
And why don’t we try to shoot them down?!
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.
We need to use this as an opportunity to test every anti-drone device we are developing.
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.”
60,000 drone flights....
Drones from the cartel do not qualify for frequent flyer miles or points.
Time to get serious about an airspace denial system for drones at the border.
“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.
Interesting facts.
**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.
Guarantee US Northern Command has a solution. Part of that solution is diplomatic. Part of it ain’t.
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.
What a post. You know so much about the details of the situation I hope it isn’t your family business. Just kidding.
Too dangerous. Pentagon ruled it out.
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.
Sounds like excellent target practice.
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.
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