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An in-depth look at various events and tactics of these buzzers used by the cartels in Mexican territory, which should put Mexican security authorities on high alert.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUlTzkMDhdE
Drone warfare, a new phase of drug violence in Mexico
In 2020, five such attacks were recorded. In the first half of 2023 alone, the number rose to 260; the devices contain gunpowder, C4 detonator and highly toxic pesticides.
According to figures from the National Defense Secretariat, five drone bombings were recorded in the country in 2020. In 2021, the number increased to 107. In 2022, there were 233. And in the first half of 2023, there were 260. Air strikes can last all night or several days. Most occur in remote areas, some lacking basic services or nestled in difficult-to-access mountain ranges.
Many houses here, says Father Fili, have tin roofs that cannot protect anyone from the bombs. The only hope for people is to take refuge in the homes of their neighbors that have concrete structures. “But sometimes these devices damage poles or power cables and the residents are left without electricity for days. They get scared. Severe psychological damage is left in children and adults.”
What kind of technology do they use?
“Tell me what drone you fly and I’ll tell you what cartel you belong to,” says Heriberto Paredes, a resident of Michoacán who has been documenting armed conflicts in the state for over a decade. He explains that in the Tierra Caliente region, which includes municipalities in both that state and Guerrero, various types of aerial mechanisms are used.
Some drug traffickers use basic models, such as the DJI Mini 3, which cost approximately $760; others look for lower prices on Chinese brands. Any of the devices can be fitted with a 10-centimeter galvanized tube containing gunpowder, pellets, and metal parts that serve as shrapnel. They can even be supplied with C4 detonator. The explosive charge must be light so that they can fly. Once in the sky, the target is identified and the device is dropped so that it explodes on impact.
Cartels with greater economic power, such as the CJNG, can fly drones that the agricultural sector uses for spraying, such as the DJI Agras T40, which costs around $25,000 on the market. “They load these with liquid explosives, to have greater destructive capacity. They use them because they consider the population to be an organized target or one with the capacity to resist; therefore, they have improved the technology of their attacks,” Paredes explains.
But criminals don't just make technological improvements, they also innovate with chemistry. In October 2023, a group of Michoacan self-defense forces found an aerial device loaded with Furadan, one of the most toxic pesticides used for pest control in large-scale crops. “This is what they have been throwing at us for a long time, this explosive carries poison. They use it to poison people, they already poisoned a colleague of ours,” said one of the members of the self-defense forces.
Technological war between drug traffickers and the Government
To counter the attacks in Michoacán, the State Government has implemented a strategy that includes an anti-drone system. It is a portable mechanism composed of a radar that detects the presence of these devices and a cannon with the capacity to attract them and bring them down at a maximum distance of 1.5 kilometers. The day this tool was launched, the authorities managed to bring down two devices. The next day, several more.
However, the use of these types of unmanned aircraft, fitted with explosives, will only grow, according to Falko Ernst, a security specialist and analyst at Crisis Group. “More than a fad, they have become an essential part of the practices of violence and territorial control of organised crime groups,” he explains. In the last two decades, he says, what was previously called drug trafficking has now increasingly transformed into a paramilitary phenomenon, and part of this mutation is reflected in the increased military capacity of organised crime organisations. That is why they now use landmines, monster trucks and drones.
For the expert, an increase in the humanitarian costs derived from the use of these devices against civilian targets is almost inevitable in the coming years, due to “the inability and lack of will of governments to design and implement security strategies that manage to stop this criminal development that is increasingly being questioned.”
ing the internal stability of the country.”
Swarms of swarms operating at the same time, through AI, this is how the war of the future looks like.
The death of 85 civilians in Nigeria rekindles the debate on military drones
The use of systems based on artificial intelligence is dominant in military activity. Autonomous drones are the most tangible example.
For his part, the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, sent a bill to Congress last August to sanction the use of aerial devices for illicit purposes or to transport explosives. The president's proposal contemplates sentences of up to 53 years in prison for those found guilty.
“The purpose is to implement a legal framework that incorporates aggravating factors to conduct constituting crimes, carried out with remotely piloted aircraft, which strengthens prevention and combats impunity in the commission of crimes through the use of these devices and thus guarantee the peace and security of Mexicans,” the document states. If the law is approved, modified weapons, such as those used by drug traffickers in Michoacán and Guerrero, will be considered weapons for the exclusive use of the Army.
es.wired.com
Drone warfare, a new phase of drug violence in Mexico
In 2020, five such attacks were recorded. In the first half of 2023 alone, the number rose to 260; the devices contain gunpowder, C4 detonator and highly toxic pesticides.
According to figures from the National Defense Secretariat, five drone bombings were recorded in the country in 2020. In 2021, the number increased to 107. In 2022, there were 233. And in the first half of 2023, there were 260. Air strikes can last all night or several days. Most occur in remote areas, some lacking basic services or nestled in difficult-to-access mountain ranges.
Many houses here, says Father Fili, have tin roofs that cannot protect anyone from the bombs. The only hope for people is to take refuge in the homes of their neighbors that have concrete structures. “But sometimes these devices damage poles or power cables and the residents are left without electricity for days. They get scared. Severe psychological damage is left in children and adults.”
What kind of technology do they use?
“Tell me what drone you fly and I’ll tell you what cartel you belong to,” says Heriberto Paredes, a resident of Michoacán who has been documenting armed conflicts in the state for over a decade. He explains that in the Tierra Caliente region, which includes municipalities in both that state and Guerrero, various types of aerial mechanisms are used.
Some drug traffickers use basic models, such as the DJI Mini 3, which cost approximately $760; others look for lower prices on Chinese brands. Any of the devices can be fitted with a 10-centimeter galvanized tube containing gunpowder, pellets, and metal parts that serve as shrapnel. They can even be supplied with C4 detonator. The explosive charge must be light so that they can fly. Once in the sky, the target is identified and the device is dropped so that it explodes on impact.
Cartels with greater economic power, such as the CJNG, can fly drones that the agricultural sector uses for spraying, such as the DJI Agras T40, which costs around $25,000 on the market. “They load these with liquid explosives, to have greater destructive capacity. They use them because they consider the population to be an organized target or one with the capacity to resist; therefore, they have improved the technology of their attacks,” Paredes explains.
But criminals don't just make technological improvements, they also innovate with chemistry. In October 2023, a group of Michoacan self-defense forces found an aerial device loaded with Furadan, one of the most toxic pesticides used for pest control in large-scale crops. “This is what they have been throwing at us for a long time, this explosive carries poison. They use it to poison people, they already poisoned a colleague of ours,” said one of the members of the self-defense forces.
Technological war between drug traffickers and the Government
To counter the attacks in Michoacán, the State Government has implemented a strategy that includes an anti-drone system. It is a portable mechanism composed of a radar that detects the presence of these devices and a cannon with the capacity to attract them and bring them down at a maximum distance of 1.5 kilometers. The day this tool was launched, the authorities managed to bring down two devices. The next day, several more.
However, the use of these types of unmanned aircraft, fitted with explosives, will only grow, according to Falko Ernst, a security specialist and analyst at Crisis Group. “More than a fad, they have become an essential part of the practices of violence and territorial control of organised crime groups,” he explains. In the last two decades, he says, what was previously called drug trafficking has now increasingly transformed into a paramilitary phenomenon, and part of this mutation is reflected in the increased military capacity of organised crime organisations. That is why they now use landmines, monster trucks and drones.
For the expert, an increase in the humanitarian costs derived from the use of these devices against civilian targets is almost inevitable in the coming years, due to “the inability and lack of will of governments to design and implement security strategies that manage to stop this criminal development that is increasingly being questioned.”
ing the internal stability of the country.”
Swarms of swarms operating at the same time, through AI, this is how the war of the future looks like.
The death of 85 civilians in Nigeria rekindles the debate on military drones
The use of systems based on artificial intelligence is dominant in military activity. Autonomous drones are the most tangible example.
For his part, the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, sent a bill to Congress last August to sanction the use of aerial devices for illicit purposes or to transport explosives. The president's proposal contemplates sentences of up to 53 years in prison for those found guilty.
“The purpose is to implement a legal framework that incorporates aggravating factors to conduct constituting crimes, carried out with remotely piloted aircraft, which strengthens prevention and combats impunity in the commission of crimes through the use of these devices and thus guarantee the peace and security of Mexicans,” the document states. If the law is approved, modified weapons, such as those used by drug traffickers in Michoacán and Guerrero, will be considered weapons for the exclusive use of the Army.
Guerra de drones, una nueva fase de narcoviolencia en México
En 2020 se registraron cinco ataques de este tipo. En tan solo el primer semestre de 2023, la cifra aumentó a 260; los dispositivos contienen pólvora, detonante C4 y pesticidas altamente tóxicos.
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