(Image Credit: IMAGN) A senator is drafting legislation to approve the use of drones by hunters to recover mortally wounded big game animals like deer in Pennsylvania.
El Paso, Texas – Transnational criminal organizations are using drones daily to monitor U.S. Border Patrol agents near the border wall, according to a federal official in El Paso. The revelation underscores the growing use of technology by cartels to evade law enforcement and facilitate illegal activities.
“We see the drones every day,” said Walter N. Slosar, the interim Chief Agent of the Border Patrol’s El Paso Sector. “The cartels use the drones to identify where the authorities are and how they can manage entries.”
The issue first became public last September when Mexican authorities, acting on a tip from U.S. officials, arrested two drone operators near the border wall in Juarez, Mexico. Since then, the frequency of drone sightings has only increased.
Slosar emphasized that agents in El Paso are working closely with their Mexican counterparts to counter the threat. “We are trying to make sure the border is safe on both sides. That is why we work with federal, state, and community partners – to identify where they are using the drones and what we have to do to combat them,” he said.
In addition to aerial surveillance by drones, authorities are also concerned about the possible existence of cross-border tunnels. This follows the discovery on January 9 of a quarter-mile-long tunnel leading from Juarez to Gate 28 of the U.S. border wall.
“We don’t know if there is another tunnel or there are no other tunnels, but we are working every day to find out. And if they exist, we will stop those illegal operations,” Slosar stated.
Cross-border tunnels have long been used by cartels to smuggle drugs, weapons, and people into the United States. While officials have ramped up efforts to detect and shut down these tunnels, the discovery of new ones raises concerns about ongoing security vulnerabilities.
The use of drones by Mexican cartels extends beyond surveillance. Last month, cartel operatives used a drone to carry out a bomb attack against Mexican National Guard troops in southern Chihuahua. Similar drone attacks have been documented in the states of Michoacán and Guerrero, where cartels use explosives to target rivals and terrorize communities.
In El Paso, drones have also been used to drop drugs into neighborhoods, a tactic confirmed by both U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials.
At least three major transnational criminal organizations operate in the El Paso-Juarez-New Mexico corridor, each controlling specific territories. According to law enforcement sources, these include:
- The Sinaloa Cartel, which operates in Juarez’s lower valley and near the New Mexico-Arizona border.
- La Empresa, active in the Sunland Park-Santa Teresa, New Mexico area.
- La Linea (Juarez Cartel), which maintains control over most other areas.
With cartels increasingly turning to technology to expand their influence, U.S. and Mexican authorities continue working to counter these sophisticated threats. However, as Slosar noted, the challenges span all fronts: “Do I worry? I worry about everything: land, air, underground.”
