US: 300 'drones' belonging to drug cartels shot down at the Mexico border

The United States announced that it has shot down more than 300 drones launched by drug cartels along the Mexican border since the beginning of 2026.

U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), the U.S. Army command responsible for covering the United States and neighboring countries, linked these drones to drug trafficking, without naming a specific cartel.

The command stated that it shot down 100 drones in August alone, but did not specify which part of the border the shootdowns occurred along.

The U.S. military reported that these drones were used by criminal organizations “to support illegal cross-border activities, including smuggling operations and monitoring law enforcement personnel and soldiers.”

For his part, Mexican Defense Secretary Ricardo Treviño claimed that these drones were primarily used by human smugglers to scout locations along the border “devoid of any official presence.”

However, the drones were also used in attacks launched by cartels against rival cartels or against authorities.

The attack caused material damage but resulted in no human casualties.