Cops, cartels and the new drone wars on the southern border

On the U.S. side of the southern border, local law enforcement officials have begun using AI-programmed drones to locate drug traffickers and migrants. On the Mexico side, drug cartels are using their own drones to stake out desert areas in the U.S. to smuggle their products.Why it matters: The U.S. government — whose own patrol drones help create what it calls a "virtual wall" — has long fueled the tech war along the border. But now even small local agencies are stepping into this arms race against cartels and illegal immigration.The big picture: The drone wars are unfolding even as migrant traffic has dropped to its lowest levels in decades. They're being driven in part by staffing shortages in police and sheriff's departments, as well as cuts in federal aid that have limited traditional patrols.Local agencies in Arizona, for example, have begun using drones to investigate a range of headaches: illegal dumping, methamphetamine labs operating off isolated, rural roads, and rescuing migrants or hikers in the scorching desert.The number of U.S. law enforcement agencies using drones has jumped 150% since 2018, according to a report released this year.Most use them as "first responders" to emergencies to assess scenes.Zoom in: The sheriff's office in Arizona's Cochise County — which shares 84 miles of its border with Mexico — recently announced it's launching a drone pilot program powered by Canadian drone-maker Draganfly, whose UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) are used by groups in Ukraine to detect landmines.In the border city of Laredo, Texas, police said earlier this month they'll deploy BRINC Drones to help them respond to emergencies within seconds.Sunland Park, N.M., near El Paso, is already using drones to help its fire and police departments rescue stranded migrants and hikers on Mount Cristo Rey, and those struggling to cross the Rio Grande.The Texas National Guard and New Mexico State Police also are using drones. Draganfly drone. Photo: Courtesy of DraganflyHow they work: Unlike commercial consumer drones, the high-tech police drones can fly for hours, collect data using AI, recreate crash scenes in minutes and direct deputies and officers to scenes using GPS.Cochise County's AI-enhanced quadcopters, for example, have thermal imaging for search-and-rescue and nighttime operations, and to locate potential cartel traffic in the border county's 6,200 square miles.Laredo's drones will be able to follow car chases, find out if a domestic violence suspect is armed before police arrive and even drop off Narcan to help someone counter an opioid overdose.What they're saying: "Cochise County wanted surveillance tied to their AI system to understand what's happening in all those remote areas of the border," Draganfly CEO Cameron Chell told Axios.Chell said the county also wanted a drone that could provide close air support for their personnel, deliver equipment and help catch or locate suspects. "You can secure your border in a much more effective way than trying to rush a bunch of people around to spots where nobody's going to be anymore."The intrigue: Some drones can monitor anything from ground-penetrating radar to air quality and can measure a person's heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and oxygen level from 500 meters away, Chell said.State of play: The local drone race comes as suspected cartels in Mexico are flying thousands of drones over U.S. territory, U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials say.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.They're "flying between the hours of 8 p.m. and 4 a.m., when the cover of darkness can obscure illicit activity," Willoughby testified.He said the drones can fly for more than 45 minutes, reach more than 100 mph and carry more than 100 pounds.Some drones operated by cartels have dropped explosives on rival factions in Mexico, Willoughby said, although no such actions have been reported on the U.S. side.So far, none of the drones used by local law enforcement have been reported to have "offense capabilities" such as the ability to fire bullets from the sky or even explosives like what the military uses.Some civil liberties advocates are urging communities to hold off on allowing police to use drones until laws governing their use are adopted.

Comments

World news

New Zealand prime minister accuses Netanyahu of ‘losing the plot’

Independent

Comments

Similar News

A Vermont man’s death was ruled as suicide. Now, his case will be reopened after his daughter claimed cops botched the investigation

‘You spit, we hit’: Trump just took over DC with vow to stop ‘thugs’ from abusing cops. He already pardoned hundreds of them

Woman arrested after dumping a dead baby inside a hearse at a funeral home, cops say

Teen randomly killed Uber driver to ‘let off some steam’ before driving the stolen car to his girlfriend’s house, cops say

TikToker Emilie Kiser’s husband was watching Knicks-Celtics game and placed bet before 3-year-old son drowned, cops allege

Emory University shooting updates: Gunman identified after father-of-three cop killed near CDC campus

At least 10 kids were trafficked to an underground sex and abuse bunker. None of the eight suspects were on cops’ radar

Dad charged with murder after he beat four-week-old daughter to death for ‘crying too much,’ cops say

Drug trafficking, indignity to human remains among charges faced by Winnipeg cop, chief says

Beekeeper vigilante unleashed dozens of her creatures on cops to try and stop eviction, officials say

He told Jan 6 rioters to ‘kill’ cops. After Trump’s pardon, he got hired at the Justice Department

Four juveniles among 11 people arrested for throwing punches during Florida bar brawl, cops say

Dismembered remains found by hiker in Utah belong to fisherman missing for 28 years, cops confirm

DHS sparks confusion by adopting socialist anthem for latest video: ‘He’s writing about cops and vigilantes’

Maine cop arrested by ICE transferred to second detention center, report says

Catholic priest hired a male prostitute while at church, cops say

A baby was abandoned in a Tennessee yard. Cops are hunting a suspect after finding four of her family dead

Cops probing 'sighting' of Michele Ann Joy Bourda who vanished from sunbed by husband

A baby was abandoned in a Tennessee yard. Cops are now hunting a suspect after finding four of her family dead

Cops find trove of unexploded IEDs at home of Tennessee man accused of making threats to officials

World news

New Zealand prime minister accuses Netanyahu of ‘losing the plot’

The national debt has reached a record $37 trillion, the Treasury Department reports

New Zealand woman who ‘thought she was being kidnapped’ detained by ICE at US-Canada border

New Zealand MP ejected from Parliament again over Gaza comments

Spain’s octopus capital forced to import octopus as numbers dwindle

Tech execs are paying top dollar to breed smarter babies, report claims

Four children aged between 11 and 13 arrested for ‘fatally mowing down woman, 71, in stolen car’

Trump has suggested Ukraine swap land with Russia – but that’s illegal

Adidas designer apologizes for ‘appropriating’ Mexican shoe design

Netanyahu suggests ‘allowing’ Palestinians to leave Gaza to go to South Sudan

Mayor calls for DC to become 51st state after Trump’s National Guard crackdown

The polluted city struggling to enforce single-use plastic ban

DC takeover latest: National Guard hit streets of Washington DC as mayor attacks Trump’s ‘authoritarian push’

Scientists discover astonishing razortooth whale which lived 25 million years ago

Second person dies after eating sausage and broccoli sandwich during botulism outbreak

The health risks from climate change that almost no one talks about

What happens to your body after eating UPFs for a day, a year and a lifetime

Moderate 4.9 magnitude quake jolts New Zealand's lower North Island

South Korean president will meet Japanese leader ahead of summit with Trump

McDonald's Japan's Pokemon card Happy Meals promotion comes to an unhappy end

Zelenskyy to visit Berlin for meetings ahead of Trump-Putin summit

Clashes erupt at Serbian anti-government protests, with dozens injured

Cops, cartels and the new drone wars on the southern border

MAGA rails against "pothead" culture as Trump weighs weed reform

Zelensky scrambles to avert disaster as Trump meets Putin

NYC office visits return to pre-pandemic levels for the first time

American Eagle's Sydney Sweeney ad divides young people: poll

It's been 10 years since Putin went to the US - here's what happened last time and what to expect on Friday

Developer’s proposed route change for Hwy. 413 would have further delayed project

Woman, 45, second to die after eating 'toxic broccoli' in Italy as veg recalled

Greece fires LIVE: Zante and Kefalonia hit by blazes breaking out across country

Chilling graffiti left on wall as pregnant woman killed and husband decapitated

'I got revenge on neighbour who parked on my drive, and courts backed me'

Ibiza Final Boss launches music career with cheeky song lyrics as fans rave over 'banger'

'Dangerous decision': Telecom CEO blasts Joly’s decision to uphold CRTC's wholesale internet rules

Residents evacuate amid urgent warnings glacial lake will flood city

Trump’s Alaskan summit with Putin is high stakes – why is it not just a sideshow?

Trump’s prediction about Zelensky-less Ukraine summit with Putin in Alaska: ‘I’ll know in the first two minutes’

White House downplays expectations for Trump-Putin meeting, calling it just a step toward peace

Zelensky and EU leaders to hold call with Trump ahead of Putin summit

The row over 'vote theft' that has shaken Indian politics

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky warns Putin will launch new war from land gained in Trump deal

White House UFC cage fight will take place on the South Lawn, Dana White says

Things to know about Alaska ahead of Friday’s Trump-Putin summit

The peak of the Zelensky era has passed – but remember this

Vietnam wants to be the next Asian tiger and it’s overhauling its economy to make it happen

One of the world's most polluted cities has banned single-use plastics

Woman says four words saved her from 'nightmare' holiday harassment

'I watched friend get eaten by a shark and most haunting moment was exactly like Jaws'

Why are Trump and Putin meeting in Alaska and when will it happen?

Teens arrested for Brad Pitt burglary targeted other stars, say LA police

Scammers accused of stealing $5 million from hundreds of seniors by posing as their grandkids in distress

Labubus located: Police track down $30,000 worth of popular collectibles stolen from warehouse

USPS worker boasted on social media about luxury vacations and Rolex she purchased using stolen mail, prosecutors say

Man arrested after police gun fired during scuffle at Sydney Airport

Mapped: What parts of Ukraine does Russia control as Trump suggests land swap for peace?

Man rescued from wilderness after carving ‘HELP’ into rock