U.S. Drones Are Playing a Key Role In Finding Cartel Leaders in Mexico As Joint Offensive Continues

Covert drone surveillance from the U.S. has been playing a key role recent operations targeting cartel leaders as both the Trump and Sheinbaum administrations carry out an offensive against the criminal organization.

Stationing the drones in Mexico has allowed for extended flight times over cartel strongholds, particularly in western Mexico's mountainous regions, which are key hubs for fentanyl trafficking, the Wall Street Journal detailed in a new report.

Intelligence from the operations, the outlet added, led to the capture of "El 200," the security chief of Iván Archibaldo Guzmán, who currently leads the "Chapitos," a faction of the Sinaloa cartel engulfed in a bloody civil with "La Mayiza," loyal to Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.

The drone program has been operational for over two decades, first supporting efforts to locate Joaquón "El Chapo" Guzmán following his escape from prison in the early 2000s. Surveillance footage in 2013 identified a remote meeting location used by Guzmán and his associates, though timing issues prevented his immediate capture. He was eventually apprehended in 2014 at a hotel in Mazatlán, aided by intelligence gathered through drone surveillance. A subsequent escape in 2015 prompted renewed drone operations, tracking his movements across Sinaloa until his final arrest in 2016 in Los Mochis.

Drones also played a critical role in the 2023 capture of Ovidio Guzmán, who had assumed a leadership role in the cartel alongside his brothers. During a military raid on his fortified compound near Culiacán, a Reaper drone provided a live video feed, enabling security forces to adjust their positions in real time. The operation resulted in the deaths of 150 cartel gunmen and 10 soldiers. Ovidio was later extradited to the United States, where he faced drug trafficking charges.

Amid growing public scrutiny in Mexico, the government is under pressure to clarify the extent of U.S. security operations on its soil. President Sheinbaum recently clarified that the flights are a result of coordination between the two countries.

"These flights are part of the coordination... collaborations that have been going on for many years between the U.S. and Mexican governments," Sheinbaum said during one of her daily press conferences. She added that information gathered is then shared with Mexican authorities.

A U.S. official recently told The New York Times that the flights go "well into sovereign Mexico" but that the CIA has not been authorized to take lethal action, and that the guidance is not expected to change. However, since fentanyl labs emit chemicals that make them easy to identify from the air, the flights have proved helpful so far.