A secret government program to send US drones to look for fentanyl labs in Mexico has been dialed up under the Trump administration, reports the New York Times. Started under President Biden, the drone flights have increased under President Trump and his CIA director, John Ratcliffe, who've promised more aggressive action against Mexican drug cartels, officials say. While the Biden administration reportedly partnered with Mexican authorities for the flights, the Trump administration made no mention of Mexican partners when communicating the more recent flights to Congress, a source tells CNN.
The MQ-9 Reaper drones—reaching "well into sovereign Mexico," according to one source—scan for fentanyl labs, which are easily detectable from the air due to the chemicals they emit, then pass the information to Mexican officials, the Times reports. Such drones have been used to target suspected terrorists abroad, per CNN. However, the ones flying over Mexico are reportedly not armed nor authorized to take lethal action. They've "caused consternation in Mexico" nonetheless, per the Times.
Trump has been pushing Mexico to do more to thwart the fentanyl trade even after it deployed 10,000 troops to the southern border this month. In addition to the drone flights, US Northern Command has conducted more than two dozen surveillance flights over the border, though without breaching Mexican airspace, an official tells the Times. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has indicated the border flights are "part of the dialogue, the coordination, that we have." But US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested this month that cross-border raids against Mexican cartels could also happen. "All options are on the table," he said. (More Mexico stories.)
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