The CIA operates spy drones in Mexico to track drug cartels and their fentanyl labs

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been operating MQ-9 Reaper drones in secret over Mexico to spy on the various operations of the most powerful drug cartels, as well as to determine the location of some of their laboratories. Citing anonymous sources within the agency, the New York Times explained that this operation is part of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) redirection of resources to the border, pushed by President Donald Trump.

These missions by the CIA, which had not been previously reported, take place at a time when the current Republican administration is moving forward in its attempt to treat the Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations despite the fact that they have not managed to make the designation official so far. Different media outlets highlighted that the Trump administration told the U.S. Congress about the latest missions executed by the intelligence agency with spy drones in Mexico, whose primary mission is to determine the locations where the cartels have their fentanyl laboratories.

Operations coordinated with the Mexican government

The sources cited by the Times detailed that the CIA has been executing these operations with the permission not only of the U.S. government but also of the Mexican government, to which the U.S. intelligence agency provides information on the cartels and their laboratories in certain parts of the Latin American country. The newspaper also noted that while these operations began during former President Joe Biden's administration, they have increased dramatically during the current one.

Far from being the first time that any U.S. agency has executed this type of operation, the fact is that, over the last few decades, the governments of both countries have established agreements so that certain security agencies, such as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), can enter Mexican airspace with different types of aircraft. While there have been tensions during certain periods, both Washington, D. C., and Mexico City have made these types of operations an almost regular action to fight drug cartels.