09 April 2025

Although President Donald Trump has designated Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations—and Elon Musk has posted the label means the USA can launch drone strikes against them—assistant defense secretary for special operations Colby Jenkins informed a Senate committee that isn't exactly the case.

Jenkins clarified that the designation "helps us unlock the doors" for the United States to seek more aggressive approaches to combat the country's drug problem, but it does not automatically provide authority to unleash drone attacks at the cartels in Mexico.

However, while it appears the option remains on the table anyway, unnamed U.S. intelligence officials claim it would be a last resort to send drones to Mexico in an attempt to halt the flow of drugs into American without notifying the Mexican government.

Interestingly, the U.S. is already sharing drone data on the cartels with Mexico. A covert CIA intelligence operation, started during the Biden administration, secretly flew drones over areas in Mexico to track cartel activity and identify fentanyl manufacturing—which can be discovered due to airborne chemicals. All reconnaissance data from the secret flights was disclosed to Mexican authorities.

Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the U.S. has been running surveillance drones across Mexico's airspace.

While launching drones into another country makes headlines, the commander of U.S. Northern Command, General Gregory Guillot, informed senators he would request authority from Congress for “more advise-and-assist types of operations" between special forces units from Mexico and America.

Time will tell what path the U.S. will take to battle the fentanyl crisis.

(A ray of hope is, according to the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, drug overdose deaths declined 25.5% between October 2023 to October 2024.)

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