(Ken Silva, Headline USA) The New York Times reported Tuesday that the CIA is conducting “secret” drone flights over Mexico to hunt for fentanyl labs.
Citing unnamed sources, the Times reported that the covert drone program began under the Biden administration, but that Trump is taking it to the next level.
The Times report comes as the Trump administration promises to crack down on drug cartels, going so far as to contemplate invading Mexico. But for now, the CIA drones are simply collecting data that’s passed to Mexican authorities, according to the Times.
“The drones have proved adept at identifying labs, according to people with knowledge of the program. Fentanyl labs emit chemicals that make them easy to find from the air,” the Times reported.
“However, during the Biden administration, the Mexican government was slow to take action against labs identified by the Americans, although it did use the information to make arrests.”
The U.S. military is also flying drones around the border, but isn’t encroaching into sovereign Mexico territory as much as the CIA, the Times added.
The Trump administration is reportedly set to designate a half-dozen cartels as foreign terrorist organizations this week. If cooperation with the Mexican government fails to bring these organizations to heel, the U.S. could consider more drastic options, the Times reported.
“Former officials say they believe that the U.S. military and intelligence agencies are likely to increase training with Mexican authorities in the coming months. Conducting an airstrike on fentanyl labs would probably cause catastrophic fatalities, as they are often inside homes in urban areas,” the Times added.
“The possibility for violence also exists if the Mexican military or police move against the lab. But the purpose of providing the intelligence to Mexican authorities is not to kill cartel members, but instead to disable the labs.”
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
