Mexican Police Now Using Armed Drones To Fight Cartels

Mexican police officers in the southern state of Chiapas have begun using armed drones to fight cartels seeking to control portions of the country's border with Guatemala.

Chiapas Security Secretary Óscar Aparicio Avendaño said the drones can be equipped with guns, including semi-automatic rifles, but did not clarify what the rules of engagement will be.

Cartels, on their end, have also been upgrading their arsenals. Earlier this month Mexican media outlets reported that La Mayiza — a prominent faction of the Sinaloa Cartel — has recently acquired government-grade drone-jamming technology by exploiting legal loopholes and is using it to counter federal operations against the criminal group.

Images shared on social media show an alleged member of the group using at least three devices produced by SkyFend Technology, a leading manufacturer of counter-drone systems.

According to multiple security sources cited by Milenio, both federal and state authorities believe the equipment is among the most advanced available to civilians. The technology is typically used in electronic warfare and anti-drone operations.

One device, the SkyFend Hunter, resembles a rifle but functions as a portable signal jammer. It can simultaneously disrupt the control, navigation and video transmission of multiple drones within a three-kilometer range.

In this context, the U.S. military has deployed advanced ground-based radar systems along the southern border to enhance detection and tracking of drones.

The Department of Defense released in March pictures of the deployment earlier on Tuesday showing members of the Army's 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum in New York State, training with the AN/TPQ-53 and AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radars in Arizona.

These radars, typically used in artillery and air defense roles, are now part of a broader mission to detect uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), which cartels increasingly use for surveillance, smuggling, and attacks. "HHB Divarty 10th Mountain Division raise their drone detection capabilities at the southern border," a Department of Defense photo caption reads, underscoring cooperation between U.S. Northern Command and the Department of Homeland Security.

The move comes amid growing concerns about the scope of drone incursions into U.S. airspace. Gen. Gregory Guillot, head of NORTHCOM and NORAD, testified that "there were 350 [drone] detections reported last year on military installations... over 100 different installations." He noted that cartel drones cross the border regularly, possibly numbering "in the thousands," and warned of surveillance risks to sensitive military sites.