A drone attack targeted the prosecutor’s office in Tijuana, located in the border with California. Baja California state prosecutor Maria Elena Andrade said the attack caused material damage but there were no casualties.
Overall, three explosive-laden drones targeted the building. More concretely, the anti-kidnapping unit. The devices contained nails and pieces of metal and also damaged six vehicles parked outside of the office.
The office said in a Facebook post that “no attack will stop investigative work or commitment to justice.” The U.S. consulate in Tijuana has asked citizens to stay away from the area.
Even though the attackers have not been identified, Mexican cartels have been getting increasingly sophisticated, with a recent New York Times report detailing that criminal groups are now often using improvised explosive devices, modified drones and heavy weaponry, further increasing their lethality.
At the border, local law enforcement agencies are increasingly deploying artificial intelligence-powered drones to track drug traffickers and migrants, while Mexican cartels are flying their own drones into U.S. territory to monitor smuggling routes and law enforcement operations.
Cartels have invested in drone technology for surveillance and, in some cases, armed operations. A former operative for the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación recently told Infobae México the group modified agricultural drones to drop explosives on rival factions, carry heavy payloads over 100 kilometers, and remain airborne for up to five hours.
Steven Willoughby, deputy director of DHS’s counter-drone program, told a U.S. Senate committee last month that cartel drones made more than 27,000 flights within 500 meters of the southern border during the last six months of 2024. “It’s just a matter of time until Americans or law enforcement agents are targeted,” said Willoughby, adding that cartel drones have been linked to more than 1,500 arrests along the southwest border.
Some factions, such as La Mayiza of the Sinaloa Cartel, have reportedly acquired military-grade drone-jamming equipment, while others have used explosive-armed drones to displace communities. Civil liberties advocates in the U.S. have urged caution on police drone adoption until clearer regulations are in place.
Originally published on Latin Times
